Nurses want a total ban on smoking in public places. More than 85 per cent of nursing delegates backed such a motion.

Forum Response: Royal College of Nursing

A spokesnan for the RCN said: "An outright smoking ban was the only measure guaranteed to protect non-smokers from the dangerous effects of tobacco.

"If you ordered a meal or a drink, how would you feel if you were told by the waiter that added to the food would be a potent cocktail of more than 4,000 chemicals, including 50 substances known to cause cancer

“You may not ask for these poisons but that is what you get from the second-hand smoke, which is ever-present in most bars and restaurants.

“In fact, a burning cigarette is the equivalent of a little toxic waste dump on fire, emitting benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, cyanide, arsenic and many of the same chemicals found in diesel exhaust.”

Forum Response: Stroke Association

A spokesman for the Stroke Association said: "Every year over 130,000 people in England and Wales have a stroke, with growing evidence that many of these strokes are caused by smoking or passive smoking. Research also indicates that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases the risk of stroke in non-smokers by up to 80 per cent. Of all the deaths due to stroke in people aged 35 to 55 years old, as many as half could be attributed to smoking.

"The Stroke Association advocates legislation to promote a smoke-free environment, which will dramatically help the high numbers of people who have a stroke every year and therefore fully support the call by the Royal College of Nursing to ban smoking in public places."