I have been forced to stay at home most of the time because of the insensitivity of smokers. There is nowhere you can turn without somebody puffing into your face. What about me? Chioma Igbokwe, Southsea

Absolutely. While I appreciate that it is the right of those who chose to smoke to do so, it is also a non-smokers right not to have to breathe in smoke in public places. It's time that the Government got tough on smoking, but we know that won't happen as they make too much money from taxing smokers. Chris Walton, London

Following this line of "nanny state" protectionism then all fat people should be banned from restaraunts. This would save lives and NHS funds could better be spent on other things. Nick Jones, Canterbury

Smoking should definitely be banned from all restaurants. There is nothing worse than someone smoking at the table next to you while you're trying to enjoy your meal. They never seem to smoke during their own meal, so why should they smoke during mine. Pubs are a grey area. Perhaps allow smoking in the drinking areas, but not where food is served. Smoking at sporting venues should also be banned. David Prinisol, London

No I did not agree, and I am writing from across the pond. Why is it that we worry about smoking, yet say and do little on a global basis about air pollution caused by cars? I don't understand that. Ann Philice, USA

Now that legislation requires all public services and businesses to make themselves available to the (obviously) disabled, it is time the Government recognised the needs of people, like myself, who have suffered from lung disease since childhood. While things have certainly got better over the past few years, I am still unable to visit most pubs. I am just as unable to use a smoke-filled pub as a wheelchair bound person faced with a high step. It is time that people with lung disease, many of whom have not contracted their disease by being smokers themselves, are given the same kind of help offered to other disabled people. Trevor Garratt, Leicester

I am an ex-smoker and I don't have any problems with people who do smoke, but I work part-time in a bar as I am a full-time student and I am sick and tired of going home smelling like an ashtray. Not only does it sit in the air like some graet dirty cloud but I also have to endure people smoking at the bar and blowing it in my face. Damn right they should ban it! Nina Morrison, Harlow

Smoking should be banned in public places, as children tend to copy adults. The less people see of a thing, I believe the less likely they are to try it. Most people will abide by laws and a ban will save lives. It will also make pubs and restaurants more pleasant places for people like me whose eyes sting in the presence of smoke. Nigel Wickenden, Spalding

As a light smoker myself, I cannot wait for the ban to be implemented in London. When will smokers realise that their right to smoke inside, denies non-smokers the rights to a healthy life. There is nothing wrong with having to go outside for a smoke, and smokers should stop being so lazy..would they hold someone head over a bonfire and force them to inhale it? Name and address withheld

The Scottish Executive is disingenuous to claim its ban is dictated by concerns of public health when it intends to include private clubs within the ban. These are emphatically not public places; individuals choose membership, as do presumably the staff who work in them in preference to public bars, where a ban is justified principally as a health and safety measure that will protect them. This alone makes it impossible to conclude that the Executive has made a serious effort to balance considerations of individual freedom against issues of public health. One can only hope that south of the border, New Labour resists the call of the authoritarian tendency of its Labour roots. Neil Voyce, Reading

I hear so often smokers asking "Why don't you leave us alone?" My answer is "Why don't you leave us alone?" To a non-smoker there is nothing worse than having to sit in an environment that is hazy, smelly and leaves your clothes smelling like a fireplace. People have the right to choose to smoke but the rest of us have the right to be able to socialise in a pleasant atmosphere! Andrew Oldfield, Stevenage