Pubs, clubs and restaurants were today warned they faced the threat of compensation claims from workers whose health is damaged by passive smoking.

Anti-smoking group ASH sent registered letters to 170 leading firms in the hospitality trade making it clear legal action will be taken on behalf of staff.

The group announced a tie-up with law firm Thompsons as part of a campaign to urge workers who believed their health had been harmed by inhaling smoke to seek compensation.

Fewer than 30 pubs in the UK were smoke-free and most restaurants allowed their customers to smoke, according to ASH.

The Government has been urging employers to improve conditions for non-smokers, such as segregating smokers into special areas and fitting ventilation systems.

But ASH said these measures would not properly protect workers from inhaling "second-hand smoke" and called for all workplaces to be smoke-free.

The campaign group said it would shortly be announcing how it intended to encourage workers to take legal action for compensation.

Deborah Arnott, director of ASH, said: "The time is long past when employers should have known that second-hand smoke is bad for their staff, and bad for the general public."

Monday January 12, 2004