A DRIVE to discourage smoking at work has gained the support of nearly 250 businesses in north Durham.

A year after the Smoke Free North Durham project was launched, 13,000 employees are being protected from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Three councils, Chester-le-Street, Derwentside and Durham City, and two primary care trusts, have all led by example during the year by all going smoke-free.

Dr Maggie Ireland, former chairwoman of Smoke-Free Derwentside, said: "We have known for many years that smoking can lead to ill health and death, but now we also have high quality, medical and scientific evidence that shows that breathing other people's cigarette smoke significantly increases your risk of cancer, heart disease and lung disease.

"Breathing cigarette smoke for just 30 minutes reduces the blood supply to the heart of healthy individuals, so just imagine the effect it has on a bar worker breathing it for eight hours a day, or on someone who already has heart disease, such as angina."

Smoke Free North Durham members include councillors, environmental health officers, health promotion staff and doctors.