Official: U.K. smoking ban inevitable

LONDON, June 19 (UPI) -- Britain's Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said she is ready to introduce a ban on all smoking in public places.

John Reid, the previous health secretary, had produced a compromise that allowed pubs serving food to ban smoking, but other bars and pubs would be allowed to permit smoking if they created a 3-foot "exclusion zone" around the bar area.

However, Britain's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson has increased pressure on instituting a complete smoking ban in public spaces, reported the Sunday Times of London.

"If we have to do one big thing, that has to be to eradicate tobacco like we eradicated polio," Donaldson said.

Donaldson said a smoking ban in public pleases should be the top health priority and the Reid compromise sent a "mixed message" to smokers.

"It's like trying to half-chlorinate a pool," he said.