HOSPITALS in Worcestershire are stepping up the war on smoking by banning people from puffing on their doorsteps.

The Government has pledged to make NHS buildings completely smoke-free by the end of 2006 - but Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has gone one step further with a plan to make smokers go outside and not light up until they're 15 metres (50ft) away.

That means the regular sight of smokers huddled under the canopuy outside the main entrance of Worcestershire Royal Hospital will disappear by the end of March, when Kidderminster Hospital and Redditch's Alexandra will also force people to move away before lighting up.

The change will also probably be introduced at the Malvern, Pershore and Evesham community hospitals.

The move is likely to earn the hospitals special awards and win the approval of the Health Development Agency, which has said that stopping smoking in hospital grounds should be the "ultimate standard" to which the nation should aspire.

Julia North, smoking cessation manager for Worcestershire, who introduced the move, said: "Smoking outside a health unit does not present a good image and is not particularly safe.

"People walking in and out need a clean and smoke-free entrance.

"We are also working very hard to make sure everyone knows how to access support from the smoking advice service."

A Health Development Agency spokesman added: "Smoking just outside the entrance to hospital buildings can give a very poor impression, as well as a cloud of smoke for patients, staff and visitors to walk through.

"Resources spent on clearing litter, or building and maintaining shelters can be much better spent on providing treatment and support for smokers to stop."

The move comes as the popular Swan pub, in Whittington, near Worcester, reveals its trial smoking ban is to be made permanent.