Plans to outlaw smoking in pubs serving food discriminate against employees in northern England, doctors have warned.
According to the British Medical Association (BMA), there is strong north/south divide between pubs which offer food to their customers.
Under government proposals to tackle the health effects of workplace smoking, only establishments which serve food would be covered by a ban on lighting up.
But the BMA found cities in the north of England - which suffer the highest levels of poverty - have more non-food pubs than their southern counterparts.
Of the ten areas with the highest proportion of non-food public houses, 9 were in towns or cities in northern England or the Midlands, it said.
At 88%, Leeds had the most venues without an eating option. In contrast, only 5% of pubs in Bromley, London did not serve food.
The report warned the current proposed laws would add to the health inequalities which already exist in the UK.
Ian Foulkes, from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said: "Workers in lower socio-economic groups are already more likely to second-hand smoke.
"The north/south divide shows that the government's plans will make health inequalities worse. Cities with the highest unemployment and deprivation will offer the least protection from passive smoking.
"We believe that the only method of protecting workers in indoor environments from the effects of tobacco is for all workplaces to be smokefree."
