SIR - Well said R Ackroyd (T&A Letters, December 8). What a silly law the no smoking ban is.

He rightly asks where are the non-smokers at the times of day he refers to.

What about our poor bingo players who indulge, they are also suffering and some of these halls are talking about closure due to the way they have been affected.

What about our poor cigar smokers - you cannot smoke one of those King Edwards at the back door.

In this modern day, with high-class air conditioning and large, open places in our pubs and clubs, why should the smoker troop outside and sit in the cold and rain?

If we are to have these laws then it would have been better, at the very least, to have given the landlord the choice how he runs his living, and the club committee the same power over their clubs.

These people are responsible for the bills and wages, let them decide the rules.

I hope the public will at least show some respect and react to this ill-thought act which has already had a drastic effect on our pubs and clubs.

This act will put the final nail in some pubs which are already struggling to survive, with their high overheads and competition from cheap offers from the supermarkets.

Brian Kenealy, Highfield Road, Keighley