THERE was a time - not very long ago - when the idea of banning smoking in pubs was so politically sensitive that even the dithering Cabinet couldn't agree on whether it should be pursued.

We found that indecision at the heart of government difficult to understand given that the ban was so clearly the right thing to do for the sake of the nation's health.

Two months before the ban on smoking in workplaces and enclosed public places comes into effect, the ditherers can take heart from new figures which show the extent of the culture change taking place across the country.

Here in the North-East - a region with traditionally high levels of smokers - 83 per cent of residents have voiced their backing for this summer's smoking ban.

That is a higher level of support than anywhere else in the country.

What it shows is that there is overwhelming support for what is an historic opportunity to transform public health.

It is an opportunity which has to be maximised and public support will be key to the legislation being effectively policed.

It would have been inconceivable ten years ago that more than eight out of ten people in a region like the North-East would support such a controversial move.

Hugely controversial though it may be now, is it therefore possible that Britain may be ready for a total ban on smoking in public places - enclosed or not - in another decade?