The council wants smoke-free areas in pubs and clubs

As a result, lighting up a cigarette in cabs is now forbidden in a total of 46 cars in the area.

The move follows the district council's idea to get smoke-free areas up and running in local pubs and clubs.

Keith Harrison, the council member in charge of health promotion, said the taxi firms had needed no prompting and he was delighted with their response.

A total of 16 taxi firms have joined the no-smoking campaign.

Mr Harrison told BBC Radio Stoke: "I am more than pleased that they seem to have taken the initiative on their own.

"If you're going out dressed up for an evening and you get into a smoke-filled cab, then you think 'I'm going to really smell by the time I get to where I'm going'. It's not very pleasant."