Smokers are continuing to blatantly flout a smoking ban introduced at Bradford Royal Infirmary 18 months ago.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust slapped a ban on smoking in the buildings and grounds of BRI and St Luke's hospitals in January 2006.

But despite large signs at the entrances and notices placed beside doors on exterior walls at the hospitals, many smokers, including patients and visitors, are continuing to light up.

Since last Sunday it has been against the law to smoke in enclosed public places, which includes hospitals.

But, in only a short space of time this week, a Telegraph & Argus photographer captured many people defiantly ignoring the Bradford Hospitals Trust's no smoking policy in the grounds of BRI.

Some of them were even smoking as they stood in front of no-smoking signs and public entrances.

Today, a Bradford Hospitals Trust spokesman urged people to respect the ban and said it would be continue to be enforced.

Last year the T&A reported that front-line workers at the hospital, such as porters and receptionists, were unhappy at being asked to patrol the hospital grounds to enforce it. Then, public services union Unison submitted a formal grievance to Trust bosses fearing that its members could face verbal and physical abuse from angry smokers.

This week a staff representative confirmed that while smoke patrols' had not been introduced, it was still up to members of hospital staff to enforce the ban.

The representative, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions, said all staff at the hospital were still expected to do their bit by asking smokers within the grounds to either move outside the hospital boundaries or put out their cigarettes.

He said: "The patrols never actually began because there was so much outcry that there was going to potentially be a dispute, so it was basically left down to what was already in the Trust policy in that all members of staff should be encouraged to do their bit. That includes all employees from consultants to the chief executive himself.

"The Trust has been quite good because it has rolled out some basic training on smoking policy awareness.

"Through that there may have been an increase in the number of employees who may feel a little bit more confident now in approaching smokers, whereas before the confidence wasn't there really, there was a concern about being open to verbal abuse."

The representative acknowledged that many smokers continued to defy the ban as staff found it difficult to enforce as doing their full-time jobs.

He said: "I just think that it hasn't properly been thought through.

"I don't think they really understand what the implications can be. If you tell somebody to put out a cigarette, are they going to put it out or are they going to give you some verbal or are they potentially going to threaten to punch your lights out?

"If the Trust is going to take a much more firm approach I think what a lot of people are saying is that they maybe it needs to employ full-time staff, kind of smoking cessation officers, to do that.

"I think the public will feel as long as they are standing outside, which is what they are going to be doing anyway, then there is no change."

A Bradford Hospitals Trust spokesman said it had no plans to change the ban, despite the numbers of people who were continuing to ignore it.

The spokesman said: Our smoke-free policy continues to be enforced and we are working very hard to support and advise our visitors, patients and staff about this policy.

"To support the recent legislation we have distributed cards and posters throughout our hospitals and recently had display stalls in our main entrances, with access to stop-smoking advisors.

"Patients who smoke are offered support and nicotine replacement therapy, all staff training programmes have a section on smoking and we have clear signage and automated verbal reminders that our grounds and buildings are smoke free.

"To make sure our hospitals are smoke free we need the support of the people of Bradford and so would like to take this opportunity to advise our patients and visitors that our buildings and grounds at both St Luke's and Bradford Royal Infirmary are non-smoking and ask that they wait until they are out of our grounds before they smoke."