HEALTH and safety officials have said that East Lancashire pub and restaurant workers should be protected from passive smoking in the a wake of the smoking ban in Ireland.

Last week the Republic of Ireland introduced a workplace smoking ban, which includes pubs and restaurants.

Now, 84 per cent of 350 health and safety experts have said they believe that smoking should be banned in pubs, cafes, bars, restaurants and similar places in England to protect the health of the people who work there. The survey was carried out by business advice company Croner.