SECOND-HAND smoke kills 200 people a year in the North-East, figures reveal.

And it is estimated that as many as 35 of these die from exposure to tobacco fumes in the workplace.

US anti-smoking campaigner Professor Stanton Glantz will explain how this death toll can be cut at a conference in Gateshead tomorrow.

The conference aims to present evidence about problems caused by second-hand smoke, expose tobacco industry tactics to confuse the evidence, and outline the case for a smoke-free North-East.

Delegates will also explore the role of local councils in attaining smoke-free status and ways to stimulate debate about tobacco control.

The conference, to be attended by 170 people, has been organised by the Smoke Free North-East Alliance and the Association of North-East Councils.

Dr Bill Kirkup, director of public health for the North-East, will also speak at the conference.

He said: "We welcome the proposals for restrictions on smoking in public places in last month's Government White Paper. They are potentially the most important developments in public health since the link between smoking and lung cancer was established in the 1950s.

"But, we also need to remember that smoking kills more than 15 people in the North-East every day.

"About 5,800 die prematurely every year -and almost one in five of all deaths in the region is caused by the habit.

"These are appalling figures that are made even more stark by the statistics about deaths from second-hand smoke."