THE chairman of British American Tobacco took a swipe at blanket bans on smoking in public places as he revealed the company faced a difficult six months.

Jan du Plessis attacked efforts in New York and Ireland to provide smoke-free zones, saying: "The provision of smoking and non-smoking areas or the installation of good ventilation systems should be more than capable of accommodating both non-smokers and smokers."

BAT owns the Rothmans brand which was pulled out of the North-East when it closed its Darlington plant at the end of June.

The company is turning its attention to new markets in the Far East. Earlier this year, BAT became the first foreign company to manufacture cigarettes in China, after being given approval to set up a factory capable of producing 100 billion cigarettes a year.

BAT blamed tough trading in Canada and the effect of the weak US dollar for an expected fall on its second half profits.

The group said sales of its four key products - Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall - fell by one per cent in the first half, although operating profits rose by one per cent to £1.35bn in the six months to June 30. At constant exchange rates, operating profits before exceptional items would have been seven per cent higher. This compared with a nine per cent increase in operating profits during the first quarter.