KEITH Baxter saw friends and family die from smoke-related diseases but it wasn't until he suffered a brush with death that he decided to do something about it.

The 58-year-old, of Newfield Drive, Nelson, last smoked in June - less than a fortnight after he was rushed into hospital with a collapsed lung.

He said: "I have seen people get sick and die from it and it didn't have an impact.

"You only take notice when it happens to you. But if it hadn't happened I would probably still be smoking."

Keith, a self-employed builder, had smoked since he was 16. He got through ten cigars a day - when he gave up these he ended up smoking as many as 40 cigarettes a day.

But after his health emergency he said he was overcome with the urge to stop.

This meant he finished his course of strong anti-smoking patches provided by the NHS much sooner than expected.

He said one of the most difficult issues was staying away from cigarettes after drinking alcohol - a problem he solved by driving to and from the pub.

The years of smoking means Keith - who lost his mother to smoke-related lung cancer - now has to live with emphysema, a deteriorating lung condition that leaves sufferers short of breath.

Keith said: "I feel better and I really don't miss smoking.

"If I think back there has been a gradual deterioration in my health.

"I thought it was down to age but wasn't my age that was doing it - it was the smoking."