MOST people in the North-west support plans to ban smoking in public places, says a Government-backed survey published today.

Out of 14,222 people who took part in the Big Smoke debate, 78 per cent said they wanted cafes, restaurants and offices to be smoke-free and less than six per cent wanted smoking in pubs and bars.

Brenda Fullard, regional tobacco policy manager for the Health Department, said: "The Big Smoke debate has shown the strength of support for smoke-free work and public places in the North-west."