SMOKERS have only two days left to enjoy a cigarette in their local pub.

Businesses and workplaces across Craven become smoke-free zones at 6am on Sunday.

New legislation means that places of work and enclosed public places, including offices, pubs, shops, clubs, restaurants, public transport and work vehicles will be cigarette-free.

The venues will be required to display signs alerting people to the law.

Failure to comply is a criminal offence and Craven District Council's environmental health and licensing departments will make sure businesses and members of the public stick to the rules.

In some towns across the country, councils will be deploying officers to go into pubs and other public places to issue on-the-spot fines.

But environmental health officer Ian O'Brien said this would not be the case in Craven. He said the emphasis would be on owners and managers to make sure they had the correct signage and to draw people's attention to the rules should they light up.

Mr O'Brien explained there were three offences for which people could be punished: * Anyone caught smoking in a smoke-free place could be given a £30 fixed penalty notice if paid within 15 days, or £50 if paid in 29 days. If the case goes to court, the fine could be up to £200.

* Any premises/vehicle owner who fails to display no-smoking signs is liable for a £150 fixed penalty notice if paid within 15 days and a £200 penalty if paid within 29 days. Court fines for this offence are as high as £1,000.

* Premises or vehicle owners who fail to prevent smoking face a fine of up to £2,500.

Mr O'Brien said fixed penalty notices could be issued six months after the offence.

He added that the council would follow up complaints of people smoking in prohibited places and would crack down on businesses breaking the rules.

Meanwhile, over in Pendle, three council workers have stubbed out their cigarettes for the very last time - spurred on by the new smoke-free law.

Bryan Thompson, Daren Homewood and Paul Hacking have agreed to share their stories in a bid to encourage others to follow suit.

Environmental manager Mr Thompson has smoked for 44 years, having lit up his first cigarette as a teenager.

He said: "I've tried a couple of times in the past to quit, but to no avail - a lack of willpower, I suppose and not enough medical help and advice.

"There is a new drug on the market which has a good success rate and is nicotine-free, so I went to a stop smoking clinic and the nurse gave me a letter to take to my GP and I got a prescription for this new drug.

"I still go back to the nurse every two weeks and she gives me a confidence boost by checking my lungs for the amount of carbon monoxide present. At my last visit I was classed as a non-smoker.

"I have saved so much money. I can't believe I was literally puffing money away for all those years."

Mr Homewood, director of council contractors Liberata, also took up the habit as a teenager.

He said: "I smoked for over 20 years and earlier this year I was smoking a minimum of 40 a day.

"I wanted to give up, so on my birthday in early April I decided to do it - I just stopped. No patches of gum or anything. I never thought I could stop, but if I can, anyone can. I feel great and I don't have to worry about the changes in July or long journeys on planes or trains - things that used to play on my mind."

The council's third quitter, Mr Hacking, is an environmental protection officer and smoked 20 a day for 36 years, again starting as a teenager.

He said: "One day, I lit up a cigarette and just thought what the hell am I doing?' So I threw my tobacco tin on the floor and jumped all over it!"

He has been officially nicotine-free for almost two months now.

Help in quitting is available locally from the North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service on 0845 8770025 or Pendle's Community Stop Smoking Service on 01282 607002.

o Local landlords have mixed reactions to the new smoking ban.

Some are concerned that the ban will adversely affect trade if their patrons are no longer able to smoke inside the premises.

But others see it as an "exciting opportunity".

Claire Gillett, from The Devonshire, on Newmarket Street, Skipton, said: "We are looking forward to getting people coming in who may not have been in before because they didn't like the smoke."

However, some concessions are still being made.

She added: "We have increased the garden area by 10 tables. We still have to accommodate the smokers."

Other landlords say they will just have to wait and see what happens.

At Skipton's Cock and Bottle pub, umbrellas have been erected and a heater put outside for smokers.

Landlady Lorraine Wilkinson said: "It's just one of those things. We're just relying on the regulars to smoke less.

"A lot have said that they're not that bothered about it, but some weren't very happy."

David Jones, the new manager at the Listers Arms in Malham, added: "The premises will obviously be no smoking and we will be placing upright ash-pans outside the door to reduce litter."