A RALLYING cry against a ban on smoking in public places is the last thing you would expect from a health-conscious Assembly Member whose constituency has the UK's highest rate of heart disease.

But that's exactly what you'll get from Blaenau Gwent's Peter Law. An Assembly committee is investigating the possibility of banning smoking from public places as they have in Ireland and New York.

Newport has now banned smoking from all the bars in its leisure centres and from November 1, Torfaen will follow suit.

But Mr Law says he will fight any similar moves taking place in his constituency.

Mr Law, who lost a stone in weight recently for health reasons, watches his diet and the amount of exercise he does and does not smoke.

But he said: "The fact that I look after my health and the fact that I am looking to protect my constituents from having a civil liberty taken from them is not contrary at all."

Mr Law sees any potential ban on smoking as a "sinister" attack on poor communities, and said: "This would ghetto-ise people living in poor communities such as those in my constituency.

"Often a cigarette down the local caf or working men's club is their only social contact during the day and the only vice they feel they can afford.

"These people have paid into the NHS all their lives and don't need telling what to do by Big Brother.

"I have never encouraged anyone to smoke in my life and agree with the government that we should find ways of getting British people living more healthily but a sinister ban such as that being discussed is just inteference in people's social lives.

"Blaenau Gwent has one of the highest levels of heart disease and chest-related illness in Britain but I'm not going to change that in my time. "It's a big job to change the culture of a place and needs to be done through voluntary co-operation. A draconian measure like this adds stress to those already living in very stressful conditions."

David Napier, director of British Heart Foundation Wales, said: "If people want to argue about their rights and their choice, lets talk about the rights of those who don't smoke.

"Every year in Britain 500 people die from passive smoking, and half of all non-smoking spouses of smokers will develop the full range of smoking-related problems such as heart disease and lung cancer."