Trip to the smoke will a be thing of past in north-west port

Liverpool
is aiming to become the first smoke-free city in the UK, following the example
of New York in the US.

A
group of health agencies, council officials and industry leaders called Smoke
Free Liverpool wants to ban tobacco smoke in public places.

A
study commissioned by the group found that 900 people die from smoking in the
city every year, and a further 105 die from passive smoking.

Options
currently being considered include using current health and safety legislation
to ban smoking in shops, bars and restaurants, and encouraging businesses to
introduce bans by proving they can save money.

The
group wants the ban to be in place when the city becomes European capital of
culture in 2008.

By Ross Wigham