I RECENTLY got into a Blackburn black cab which had three 'no smoking' signs inside the passenger compartment.

As I sat down, I was nearly overcome by a dense 'fug' of tobacco smoke. The driver, while waiting for a fare, had been smoking with all the windows open so that he did not 'gas' himself.

As there was no other cab on the rank, I decided that by dropping both passenger door windows, an early death from pneumonia was preferable to a slow death from lung cancer.

At journey's end I pointed out to the totally unimpressed, uncaring driver that the 'no smoking' notices were a bit pointless. He got no tip.

How about the licensing authority looking into this matter? I can't be the only person to suffer from this extremely unpleasant and nauseous health hazard.

D PRATT (Mr), Plantation Street, Accrington.