PERHAPS the legal smoker who feels persecuted (Nick Parr, Star Letters, January 18) could spare a thought for the members of Breathe Easy Buckinghamshire and others with chronic lung disease, whose lungs have been permanently damaged in the vast majority of cases by cigarette smoke.

The majority of restaurants with no smoking areas, or with air conditioning, are useless to us as, unfortunately, smoke does not have the ability to stop itself at the start of the so called 'no smoking area. I personally have to send my husband in to cafes and restaurants as a scout to see if the conditions are suitable for me.

If I am on my own, it is very embarrassing to walk into places, turn around and walk straight out again if I see anyone smoking. Mind you, this is not quite as embarrassing as having a fit of coughing in the middle of eating and putting everyone off their meal!

Pubs are no go areas for us except for the lovely summer evenings (how many of those do we get in this country?) when we can sit in the gardens, and shopping malls are rapidly becoming the same (as noted by the other letter printed on 18 January).

I very much agree with the writer of this letter who voiced concern about the effect of cigarette smoking on future generations. Children brought up in smoky atmospheres are more inclined to smoke themselves and although my sons were never exposed to cigarette smoke at home and are themselves non-smokers, I am increasingly concerned that, due to the time they spend in pubs and clubs, they could experience adverse effects due to passive smoking (remember Roy Castle?).

So Mr Parr, I do hope you succeed in your efforts to give up and that you do not develop a chronic lung disease but if you do, we would be pleased to welcome you into our group and to offer you the support you would need to live with breathing problems.

In the meantime, we would be grateful if you would keep your smoke to yourself and not add to our discomfort whilst we are trying to live what is left of our lives as normally as we possibly can.

I have not checked out your claim about the amount of revenue raised by smokers compared with the amount spent on the NHS, but I do know that the vast majority of people would rather the money, wherever it comes from, did not have to be wasted on the treatment of disease that is largely preventable if people either gave up smoking, or better still, did not start in the first place.

Janet Fanko, Treasurer of BLF Breathe Easy Buckinghamshire

For further information contact The British Lung Foundation on (0207) 831581