ANTI SMOKING campaigners have teamed up with health bosses to help clear the air across East Lancashire.

North West ASH and the North West Public Health Group hope to boost the number of non smoking public places, such as restaurants, pubs and shopping centres, throughout the region in a bid to improve health.

But Ray Pilkington, owner of smoke free bar and restaurant Accrington Pride, says they will have a tough job as the idea is not a popular one.

He opened the venue in the town's Blackburn Road three years ago because he is anti-smoking himself but says: "It's not going well.

"You get a group of lads and if only one smokes they won't come in, or they stand at the door and then the smoke wafts in."

In East Lancashire there are currently just four locations registered as being smoke free compared with 22 across the county as a whole and more than 150 in Greater Manchester.

In addition to Accrington Pride there is the Accrington Arndale centre; Artisan Cafe, Bury Road, Rawtenstall; and Sainsbury's Coffee Shop, Active Way, Burnley.

The announcement to increase no smoking venues across the region comes a week after it was revealed that second-hand tobacco smoke kills almost one hospitality industry worker each week.

Campaigners have designed a new website featuring information about passive smoking, suggestions on quitting smoking and a guide to smoke-free public places and workplaces.

Katie Fowden, of North West ASH, the local branch of Action on Smoking and Health which works to reduce ill health and preventable deaths caused by tobacco smoking, said: "With three quarters of the people in the region being none smokers, the vast majority of people prefer to dine, sleep, drink, snack, and shop in a smoke free environment."

"The website has been created to offer a source for people in the region to find out where the smoke free venues are."

The new website: www.smokefreenorthwest.co.uk is launched tomorrow.