More than 30 cities and towns in England are considering local bans on smoking in workplaces and public places.
Liverpool and the Greater London Authority have both started Parliamentary steps to enable them to implement a ban next year.
The SmokeFree Liverpool campaign has said at least nine other local authorities are examining this route or other measures, including changing bylaws, licensing laws or health and safety legislation. They are Bradford, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Poole, Brighton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens and Sheffield.
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In addition, 26 councils and 16 NHS primary healthcare trusts in the north-east of England are poised to establish a California-style Office of Tobacco Control within a few weeks, which may lead to many parts of the region opting for bans.
A study in the British Medical Journal in March has concluded passive smoking kills at least 30 people a day in the UK, at work and in the home.
Go to http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/rapidpdf/bmj.38370.496632.8Fv3
