Ilkley could be on line for its first non-smoking bar after the success of Guiseley's first smoke-free brasserie.

So much local support has been shown for Coopers bar, Brasserie and Function Room, in Guiseley, that the company which owns it is now considering extending the smoking ban to its other premises throughout North and West Yorkshire.

One of those now being considered for the ban is Ilkley's Bar t'at although the owners market town Taverns says no decision has been reached yet.

Cooper's Bar, on Otley Road, was once a Co-operative store but has been operating as a beauty salon and children's clothing business in recent years. Since its conversion to a non-smoking bar it has proved extremely popular, and its success could lead to a total non-smoking policy in all the company's bars in the area.

The group's managing director Ian Fozard said: "Market Town Taverns has always been forward-thinking about the no-smoking issue. Four of our nine taverns in north and West Yorkshire are now no-smoking and the remaining five all have large no-smoking areas.

"We made Symposium, our tavern in Idle, Bradford, no-smoking from January 1 and it has remained extremely popular.

"The fantastic local support for our no-smoking Coopers bar, Brasserie and Function Room, which opened in Guiseley last month, has led us to review the issue for all our remaining taverns, including Bar t'at in Ilkley, although no decisions have yet been reached."

The success of the scheme and its possible expansion into other areas has been welcomed by health staff who are trying to encourage more local pubs to take up the initiative.

Scott Crosby, a specialist in tobacco control working for the Leeds North-West Primary Care Trust, said the public had shown backing for the campaign to make all pubs smoke free following an article in the Ilkley Gazette and Wharfedale Observer last September.

"Quite a few people contacted me to give their support for smoke free workplaces as a result of the article about passive smoking."

He said there were now two smoke free bars in the region and another was possible for Ilkley.

Mr Crosby said health professionals had been disappointed by the Government's white paper last year on workplace smoking bans.

He said: "We are not happy about it, because it is not really going to happen. If they wanted it to happen they would do it straight away."

He said the more pubs and bars took the initiative themselves the more pressure could be brought to bear on politicians.

Mr Crosby is working with Leeds City Council in a bid to tackle passive smoking at a local level.

"We can do something locally," he said. "The more people give their support the more they can push politicians to do it locally because they are not going to do it nationally."