BOLTON Wanderers players have pledged their support to health bosses hoping to persuade smokers to quit on No Smoking Day.

Greek midfield star Stelios joined two stop smoking advisers, who will be dragging large inflatable cigarettes from the Reebok Stadium in Horwich for six miles to the Royal Bolton Hospital in Farnworth next Wednesday to promote National No Smoking Day.

The walk, which hopes to promote the message that "smoking is a drag", will start at the Reebok, where the advisers, Gary Bickerstaff and Tracey Holliday, will chat to players about the fitness benefits of not smoking.

It will finish at the hospital, where medical staff will discuss the worst health impacts smoking can have.

Mr Bickerstaffe said: "We're really pleased that the hospital and club have leant their considerable weight and influence to this year's local No Smoking Day campaign."

He has estimated that in a full Reebok Stadium of 25,000 football fans, 7,800 of them will be smokers, and about 3,900 of them will die early as a result of their smoking habit.

He said: "Smokers, on average, lose 21 years of good quality life.

"If every one of these smokers gave up, potentially a total of 83,320 years of life could be saved.

"More dads, mums, granddads and other family members would be around longer to take their children and grandchildren to watch football, and far fewer would be spending time at the other end of our walk, in the Royal Bolton Hospital."

In Bolton, 29.6 per cent of people smoke, compared to a national average of 27 per cent and in some areas, such as the Hall i'th' Wood estate, this figure can be as high as 65 per cent.

The Bolton News launched the Stub It Out campaign when these figures were revealed, calling for smoking to be banned in all enclosed public places.

In February last year, MPs voted with a massive majority to ban smoking in all enclosed public places, including pubs, clubs and private members bars.

The ban will be introduced on July 1 and anyone caught flaunting it will face a £50 fine.