ANXIOUS employees at a North Yorkshire firm fear they may have to leave their jobs if they can't quit cigarettes.

Staff at RR Donnelley, which prints the Yellow Pages at its press in Flaxby Moor, between York and Knaresborough, have six months to stop smoking to reduce safety risks and improve the health of the 350-strong workforce.

But workers worry some long-term smokers will be unable to abide by the rules, and when the scheme goes live on August 1 they will face disciplinary action, and possibly dismissal.

They have started a petition summing up their fears.

Employees stress they are not opposed to the scheme in principle - many are already taking advantage of company support including free nicotine patches, group counselling sessions and even hypnotherapy.

But they are extremely worried that they will not be able to cope.

Martin Tilstone, Donnelley's human resources manager, says staff are underestimating themselves, and says they cannot judge the scheme until they have tried it.

He said the scheme may have to be reviewed in July, but until then he urged all smokers to take the help on offer.

The petition has about 45 names - half the firm's smokers - and it has been handed to union representatives and management.

One worker, who did not want to be named, said: "Everybody is willing to give it a go. I smoke myself and I've tried dozens of times to give up, but have always resorted back to smoking.

"We work 12 hour shifts, which is going to be tough, especially if you are stuck on a machine, and there's nowhere to go here at all.

"We have been told we can go outside the factory gates but it would take us ten minutes to walk there and we only get two 20-minute breaks.

"The company is willing to help us stop smoking, but people are getting anxious that they won't be able to."

Mr Tilstone said: "It's only as the date approaches that we'll know how successful we have been and how well we are doing. If we say now: 'Don't worry guys, we'll keep everything as it was', no one will attempt to give up."

- The British Medical Association today urged the Government to use No Smoking Day to take action to ban all tobacco advertising.

Updated: 11:27 Wednesday, March 13, 2002