I believe your paper has sunk to a low point - your Opinion column, Smoking - the day to stub it out (Oxford Mail, March 12) was a personal, vindictive and possibly libellous piece of 'journalism'.

It was obviously written by a pious, pompous, PC, smoker-hater. Cowards love to insult others anonymously.

I am surprised that even the anti-smoking Oxford Mail would allow such a bile-filled attack, containing one coward's personal views.

It would be like me stating that all journalists are biased, unfair drunks who are incapable of writing objectively and fairly.

This would clearly be unfair, even if I hated all journalists, which I don't. It is clearly your writer's opinion that this is a filthy habit, and that smokers are utterly selfish and weak-willed, among other comments.

Filthy habit? When smoking was banned in pubs and clubs, landlords and managers found that the smell of tobacco had been hiding the stench of BO and foot odour.

They had to install air freshening machines to mask the smell. Who is more filthy?

Selfish? We pay £9bn in tax and, even with fiddled statistics (the death of anyone from lung cancer is classed as smoking related, even if they have never been in contact with a smoker), they can only make treating smokers cost £2bn.

Weak-willed? I certainly do not class myself as weak-willed and I smoke through choice.

I know all the propaganda and half-truths, but I am strong-willed enough to look at all angles and not be brainwashed.

Finally, just to drive your brainwashed, PC, anti-smoking staff into a nervous breakdown, I quote from a national daily paper (February 29): "Sprightly Buster Martin is running the London Marathon aged 101 - but the part-time plumber refuses to quit booze and fags."

DEREK SMITH London Road Headington Oxford