MARTIN Ball (Letters, July 10) of FOREST, as is usual when going on about smoking, tries to defend the indefensible.

He now gives us to understand that "the rise in the number of people smoking is in deliberate defiance of sanctimonious politicians."

Perhaps he will be trying to claim that the rise in everything harmful and undesirable, like crime, drug taking, mugging old ladies, is due to the attempt to stop it. He goes on: "Politicians have no business interfering in an adult's lifestyle, be it smoking, drinking or eating junk food."

If he thinks that attempting to reduce the number of smokers who are taking up hospital beds and the precious time of nurses and NHS resources is interfering, then he is not living in the real world.

I stopped smoking 25 years ago when someone "interfered" with my smoking habit and I'm for ever grateful to that person.

I was working on a building site and offered a cigarette to a chap. He said: "No thanks, I don't smoke because I don't believe in paying good money to ruin my health."

I thought about it and it made so much sense and I stopped smoking from that time on.

ALBERT MORRIS, Clement View, Nelson.