The reaction received by landlady Carol Taylor in the wake of her announcement that her pub is the first to ban smoking clearly shows one thing.

There are just as many people looking forward to returning to a trip to their local as there are threatening to stay away because they will no longer be able to light up.

Although the ban at the Brown Cow doesn't come into operation until next Wednesday, Carol and her husband, Barry, who run the pub, have been staggered by the feedback following our story last week.

Carol decided to call time on smoking after the death of her father owing to a smoke-related illness. The couple have set a magnificent example in bringing in the ban long before the long-winded Government legislation comes into force from summer next year.

The no-smoking action being taken by Airedale Hospital also needs to be acknowledged. Those involved in bringing in the ban are obviously living in the real world, realising they are between a rock and a hard place.

It is a hard fact of life that in stressful situations -- such as those found at hospitals -- there are those who take comfort and relief from a cigarette, patients, staff and emergency service workers alike.

In a bid to minimise the effects the hospital is introducing special arrangements to help smokers stop or advise them how they can manage smoking during their stay.

The future issue is going to be how to police bans such as that at the hospital. There is plenty of evidence already that in a number of places -- such as shopping centres -- where bans already exist, smokers are roundly ignoring the ruling. Those who light-up in such circumstances are clearly demonstrating their ignorance and their lack of care for the comfort and health of others.

The issue is, and there's no prizes for guessing, what the response would be from some smokers if they were politely asked to stub it out.