It was encouraging to read that Anthony Sturge has banned smoking in his restaurant (Quentin's), though I can only feel sad for the events that precipitated the decision.

Quentin's is now one of only a handful of social venues in Brighton and Hove where non-smokers are not second-class citizens.

If you want to go out to eat or drink in the city, the most discriminated-against group is not over-35s or gays but non-smokers.

The owners and management of venues ignore the fact the majority of the adult population are non-smokers and will spew out tosh about people liking to smoke when what they mean is they will lose revenue from cigarette sales.

Most smokers are social smokers - that is, they light up when their friends light up.

No smoker has hurled himself in front of a speeding train to protest at the end to smoking on the railways.

The carriages are neither empty because smoking is no longer allowed nor are cinemas deserted because smoking is banned.

If an area is no-smoking, the vast majority of smokers have enough self respect and respect for others not to smoke in it.

Before The Argus gets whining letters from smoking apologists at Forest, I should make it clear I don't require a ban on smoking in every pub, bar and restaurant.

If 50 per cent of the venues in the city were non-smoking, smokers would still have the choice of going to any venue they wanted.

They would not be excluded but non-smokers currently are.

Perhaps our local entrepreneurs could take note. Most people don't smoke; of two people with the same take-home pay, one a smoker and one not, the non-smoker has the larger disposable income.

There are business opportunities here. Don't wait for a bandwagon - build it.

-Errol Tompkins, erroltompkins@hotmail.com