WITH regard to your editorial comment (February 15), I would like to point out that some working men's clubs do "try to protect their staff from deadly smoke".

At Acomb WMC we try to use the statutory regulations as a basis so we can operate at a much higher level on all health and safety issues.

Following the Government's electioneering promise that any "smoking ban" would be a partial one and that working men's clubs would be unaffected, we invested a very considerable sum of money in state-of-the-art smoke extractors and maintenance contracts for them.

Despite the fact that other, less expensive, options were available we considered that the health of all the users of our club was paramount and chose the system which all of our research showed to be the most up-to-date and efficient one on the market.

Evening Press journalists and photographers who have visited our club can verify the performance of our system and our MP, Hugh Bayley, is more than welcome to visit us and then give his opinion.

As the Government has now backtracked on its promise we will expect them to reimburse us for the time and monies spent following the advice given and the well-documented promises it made.

I don't believe that this matter is ended yet.

Frank A Healy,

Acomb WMC & Institute Ltd,

Front Street,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 10:51 Saturday, February 18, 2006