A tobacco task force has been set up to reduce the number of smokers in Ryedale.

The group, which is made up of county and district council officers, environmental health chiefs and local medics has already held a number of meetings and is planning an official launch in the New Year.

Co-ordinator Colette Watson said the task force, called the Ryedale, Scarborough and Whitby Tobacco Alliance, was established as a direct result of policy changes initiated by the Government.

"Two years ago the Government brought out a White Paper outlining ways in which tobacco issues could be tackled and encouraging local authorities to get involved," she said.

"Our remit is to encourage greater awareness of the health issues connected with smoking, ultimately to help people give up."

The group is set for an official launch sometime next year but, at the moment, those involved are meeting regularly to discuss how the group will operate, said Mrs Watson.

"We are looking at the most effective ways of informing people about smoking issues," she said.

"We will be offering advice and help to people who want to give up and will be launching a number of initiatives to prevent children from taking up the habit.

"The meetings we have held so far have been mainly about how we are going to launch ourselves next year.

"We are not specifically an anti-smoking group in that we don't want to be seen to be preaching to people, but we will be looking at ways of educating people in general about the health dangers of smoking."

The group planned to use the latest research on which methods promoting the health dangers of smoking were most successful, added Mrs Watson.

"We will also be looking at how we can encourage the owners of restaurants and pubs to create non-smoking areas.

"At the moment there is still a lot to discuss, but we should be due for an official launch next year."

Stuart Pudney, head of North Yorkshire Trading Standards, which has a representative in the alliance, said the group would reinforce the work being carried out by his department.

"The alliance has an ambitious programme with North Yorkshire County Council, Ryedale District Council, North Yorkshire Health Authority, local doctors surgeries and other healthcare professionals.

"It will enable these individual groups to work together to help people give up smoking and to prevent young people from starting."

malton@ycp.co.uk