Drivers face brunt of smoke fines

The majority of people has complied with the smoking ban

More than 130 people have been fined for smoking illegally since the ban was introduced in NI exactly one year ago, the department of health has said.

The majority of penalties was given to drivers of work vehicles.

Thousands of premises were also inspected up until the end of March. These resulted in almost 1,500 warnings.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said the ban represented a "major milestone for public health".

"When at work and out socialising, we are no longer exposed to toxic second hand smoke - smoke that contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which cause cancer, from which we previously had little or no protection," he said.