Health workers in Bradford invited the public to 'come on board' a new Smoke Free bus and support a campaign for a district free of second-hand smoke.

Staff from Bradford's Stop Smoking Service manned the newly-refurbished Smoke Free bus in Bank Street, Bradford, and invited smokers to learn more about the most effective ways of quitting.

The bus will be spreading the word over the coming year, stopping at a number of locations across the Bradford district.

It is part of a call for a 'smoke free region' which comes from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Strategic Framework for Health. The organisation believes "all have a right to freedom from tobacco smoke pollution".

The new campaign aims to ensure that the vision of a smoke-free region becomes a reality in line with the Telegraph & Argus Clear the Air Campaign which is calling for a total ban on smoking in public places.

The bus also aims to reduce the number of smokers in the Bradford district. Smoking is the single biggest killer of people in the region and responsible for the death of nearly 10,000 people every year across Yorkshire and Humber.

Promoting smoke-free places is seen as one of the most effective ways of reducing the number of smokers.

The Bradford and District Health Development Partnerships Health Promotion Specialist Lynn Clark said: "Health workers will use the bus to spread the smoke-free message.

"They will be encouraging people to support smoke-free policies in work places and all public places and will assist people who want to make their homes smoke free.

"The bus will also promote the local NHS Stop Smoking Service and advisors will be available to offer support to anyone wanting to quit."

Madge Boyle, Bradford District Health Development Partnerships Tobacco Programme Manager, said people wanting to quit for good were four times more likely to succeed if they sought professional help.

"From January 1, 2005, to September 30 we helped 2,602 people in the district to quit smoking," she said.

"The NHS provides a variety of ways to help people stop smoking. There is one-to-one support or group support sessions which run for six to eight weeks. These are held across the district in some GP practices or community venues.

"Getting support and making a quit plan is one of the best ways of stopping smoking forever."