I have been an ex-smoker for 11 years and smoked for around 30 prior to stopping (Smoking breaks face council ban, Croydon Guardian, October 18). I certainly do not intend to ever start again.

I used no patches or nicotine replacement therapy; just convinced myself that smoking was the pits, set a date to stop and did.

Taking away outdoor ashtrays and offering reduced rate nicotine patches is no way to treat a smoking workforce. Just dictating a cut off date and replacing one method of nicotine input for another will surely not work and lead to a disgruntled, ill-tempered and non-cooperative tranche of council staff.

Far better to select a date in the reasonably near future, say five years, and state that all council buildings will become no smoking areas.

I do hope Croydon's council taxpayers are not subsidising reduced-rate nicotine patches.

PAUL BEAUMONT Beauchamp Road Upper Norwood