Smoking is to be banned from most of Bradford Interchange and all of Keighley bus station following a growing number of complaints from passengers.

Transport chiefs have decided that the £3 million Keighley station, which opened two years ago, will become a no-smoking zone before Christmas.

And smoking will only be allowed in a designated area in the Interchange from early next year. The move follows a successful pilot scheme at Huddersfield bus station where smoking will also be banned.

It will eventually be followed by smoking bans at all other West Yorkshire bus stations.

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority said it was acting in response to the numbers of complaints it receives about smoking from travellers.

Today, the ban was welcomed by health experts but some smokers condemned the move as being heavy handed.

The policy will be in line with bus and rail operators which also have smoking bans on their services.

About 30,000 people a day use Bradford Interchange. Keighley bus station has about 17,000 passengers a day.

Warning signs will be displayed throughout the stations and staff will request people who ignore them to stub their cigarettes out but they will not have legal powers to take further action.

A spokesman from Metro - the operating arm of the passenger transport authority - said: "As a result of feedback from passengers making it clear that the majority would prefer bus stations to be entirely or predominantly non-smoking we plan to introduce designated areas or bans at our bus stations across West Yorkshire.

"Where it is possible to install the appropriate extraction equipment Metro plans to introduce designated smoking areas. There will be a ban if extraction equipment cannot be introduced."

Councillor Ann Ozolins (Lib-Dem, Idle), a Bradford member of the passenger transport authority, said: "I hope it will improve the environment in our bus stations and in turn persuade more people to use public transport."

Councillor John Prestage (Lab, Keighley South), another PTA member and chairman of Bradford Passenger Consultative Committee, said: "I smoke a pipe myself but I agree with setting aside designated areas."

Bradford Council's executive member for the environment, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, said: "It sounds like a very good idea. I prefer to go to non-smoking restaurants."

The move was also welcomed by Bradford health promotion specialist Di Woodhall who said up to 12,000 a people were dying in Britain each year because of passive smoking.

"I am delighted and think this is wonderful news. I would like all the bus stations to be totally smoke-free but I think it would be very interesting to monitor this and see how it works."

Khadim Hussain, operations director for Bradford's biggest bus operator, First, said: "We operate a non-smoking policy in the buses and have to depend on the co-operation of passengers. I think this will be good for people using the bus stations and make it a much better environment for them."

But bus passenger Mick North, who smokes 20 cigarettes a day, said Metro was being too heavy handed and discriminating against smokers.

Smoking is banned apart from in designated areas in all Council-owned buildings and the city centre Kirkgate shopping complex has started a no-smoking policy.

People who want to smoke at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's hospitals also have to use shelters in the grounds.

A spokesman for FOREST - the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco - criticised the outright ban at Keighley.

"There is a principle involved with public services that smokers pay their taxes too and should be catered for," he said.

"In some situations smokers can't always be catered for but in an ideal world they certainly should be and just as some non-smokers find smoking unpleasant, not being able to smoke can be very unpleasant for a smoker."