THIS country, the once-Great Britain, fought wars in which thousands of soldiers lost their lives all in the name of freedom.

But we are losing this freedom, little by little, by allowing little non-smoking dictators to tell us when we can and cannot smoke.

We understand, and rightly so, that you can’t smoke in a hospital, but they say you can’t smoke in the hospital grounds either. Who are these people?

Hospital staff can lose their jobs if they go to have a fag in the hospital grounds in their break times, so they must go out on the path by the main roads. But what is the difference?

There’s no difference. The smoke goes up and away, whether you’re on hospital ground or not. But I say the hospital should provide somewhere where its staff and patients can smoke, no matter what the weather is.

Pubs have a policy: if you smoke, there’s usually a lean-to in the pub grounds where you can smoke. You can walk round the town and smoke, so long as you use the waste bins provided.

So come on, hospitals, look after your staff and patients who like to smoke a fag, and stop the threats of dismissal – it’s a stressful job.

MR P. HOWARD Brome Place Barton Estate Headington