I felt long-overdue relief that Parliament has done the sensible thing and voted for a smoking ban in pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Many pubs and some cafes are pretty disgusting smoke-filled places which non-smokers stay away from.

Rather than complain about the possible loss of trade from selfish smokers, who think they have a "right" to breathe cancerous fumes over others, publicans and other traders should view this as a huge business opportunity.

Rather than cater for the dying minority, they should make venues attractive to the much larger nonsmoking majority. I'm sure, with the right approach, this would lead to an increase, not decrease, in business.

Buses, trains, cinemas and theatres all used to be horrible,smoke-filled places. For years, they've been much more pleasant and business is booming as a result.

If the owners of businesses in which the public smoke haven't already done so, I would urge them to implement the changes now and reap the benefits.

-Ray Ager, Brighton