Lights out for lighting up

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - England slams the door on smoking in bars, workplaces and public buildings on Sunday in what campaigners hail as the biggest boost to public health since the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.

"Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death," said Deborah Arnott, director of charity Action on Smoking and Health.

"Workers have a right to a safe environment and the harm done by tobacco smoke is now known to be significantly dangerous," she said.

But artist David Hockney, who has been waging a one-man campaign against the ban, calls it a "grotesque piece of social engineering" imposed by a "political and media elite".

The English ban means smoking in enclosed public places like pubs will now be banned across the entire United Kingdom.

Wales and Northern Ireland outlawed public smoking in April following the lead of Scotland last year.

Ireland and other European countries have also banned smoking indoors, while some parts of Canada and a number of U.S. states have had strict controls on smoking for years.

The legislation is designed to protect people from the effects of second-hand smoke at work, which doctors estimate kills more than 600 people a year.