A CUSTOM loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs..."

The start of the latest Government anti-smoking missive? Not quite - these words were penned by Scotland's King James VI in 1604, in a scathing rant entitled A Counterblaste to Tobacco.

Finally, it would seem, the rest of us are coming round to his point of view.

Week by week the tide appears to be gradually turning against tobacco.

Smoking could be banned in every caf, restaurant and most pubs in England within four years, according to plans published by the Government last year.

Some establishments - like The Swan, at Whittington - have already introduced smoking bans, which are proving popular with customers and, more importantly, staff.

By the end of next month, Worcestershire Royal Hospital is set to ban smoking, not just inside its buildings, but within 50ft of its entrance.

The sight of nicotine addicts puffing away outside a place where people receive treatment for life-threatening smoking-related illnesses has always been something of an anomaly.

We welcome the hospital's move and hope the example set by the NHS - and The Swan - will be followed by many others.

If people want to smoke, fair enough. But why should others have to breathe in their noxious fumes?