Hundreds of pubs across the region are set to ban drinkers from lighting up at the bar amid growing concern over the effects of passive smoking.

Five of the country's biggest pub chains have agreed to introduce a ban after talking to customers about what they want.

But they have fallen short of introducing a complete smoking ban like that introduced by Irish Government - fearing it will hit trade and jobs. Two of the chains include Punch and Scottish &Newcastle which between them have almost 600 leased pubs in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Martyn Gray, commercial director for Scottish and Newcastle Pub Enterprises, said its licensees were being asked to sign up to a voluntary code by the end of 2005.

Mr Gray dismissed suggestions the move was a fudge in lieu of a complete ban on smoking in its pubs.

He said: "We are talking about customer choice and this if anything is a sensible option.

"There will be parts of pubs designated smoking areas and other parts where licensees will take our advice and create areas for non-smokers. "We don't want what has happened with pubs in Ireland as that would be an imposition on our business."

A spokesman for Punch said it wanted no smoking areas to become the norm eventually in the majority of its outlets and had written to licensees asking them to formulate their own action plans.

He said: "We will continue to highlight the importance of smoking to our pubs and urge them to be proactive in tackling the issue and responding to customer needs.

"Ultimately if we don't self regulate our industry in this way someone else might."

The move to ban smoking at the bar mirrors that already in place at national pub chain Wetherspoon.

Neil Hetherington, landlord of the Nags Head, in Sedgefield, County Durham, backed the pub chains' move. He said: "This ban on smoking can't come quick enough for us.

"Already we don't allow smoking in the restaurant but at the moment people can still smoke in the lounge and other areas."

According to the British Beer and Pub Association within five years 80 per cent of pub space will become non-smoking.

However it claimed to have a complete ban would mean the closure of 5,000 pubs and the loss of 75,000 jobs.