Last July my wife and I were returning from a business trip to Shetland on the Northlink ferry. As we were leaving Lerwick it was a lovely afternoon so we decided to go on deck and enjoy our departure through Bressay Sound. Imagine our disappointment and discomfort when we discovered that smoking was permitted on every single outside deck of the ferry - wherever we went on any deck we were unable to escape the noxious fumes of smokers.

I have subsequently corresponded with Mr Bill Davidson, chief executive of Northlink, and raised my concerns with him. Why, I asked, was smoking permitted on public transport? Why were uniformed Northlink staff smoking on duty?

To the former issue his response was that the decks are uncovered and therefore outwith the current legislation. With respect to the latter, to be fair, he promised immediate action to stop this practice.

Since Northlink is a wholly-owned public company I then asked Liam McArthur MSP to raise the issue with the Scottish Government and the Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison MSP. This he kindly did, but the complacent response from the Minister was that Northlink was acting within the legislation, and that there was no immediate intention to change this. I had asked the Minister why Northlink, as a public company, wasn't acting within the spirit of the legislation (which is to ban smoking on public transport), and that why at least one deck couldn't be designated non-smoking. How do poor seafarers who need fresh air manage to cope with cigarette smoke billowing out from all open decks?

Since I have hit a brick wall with both Northlink's customer care and ministerial apathy, the only recourse I have is to let the market have its way. As a tour operator, I will be advising all of our 2008 customers not to travel on Northlink, as they cannot be guaranteed fresh air. Pentland Ferries' new catamaran will not only be faster, it will be more pleasant, and free from carcinogenic fumes.

Steve Sankey, Gerraquoy, St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney.