The number of emergency hospital admissions for heart attacks has fallen 2.4 per cent since the introduction of the smokefree legislation in England, according to a new report.

The study, compiled by the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), was published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month and was funded by the Department of Health. In the year following the implementation of smokefree legislation on 1 July 2007, the report found there was a fall of 1,200 emergency admissions for heart attacks across England.

The decrease in heart attack admissions has been attributed to measures such as the ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants, which have reduced exposure to second-hand smoke. TCRG director Dr Anna Gilmore, who led the research team, said: "Given the large number of heart attacks in this country each year, even a relatively small reduction has important public health benefits. This study provides further evidence of the benefits of smokefree legislation."