Just consider their refrain: "The saddest thing that I'd ever seen, were smokers outside the hospital doors."

Now come on, Editors — these days, such sad sights are in evidence all over any built-up commercial area, but more of that later.

It was the group's reference to hospital doors which rang bells with me on Monday, when it was reported that researchers had found hospital trusts were struggling to enforce no-smoking rules for their premises and grounds, which were introduced two years ago.

The researchers' study took place last year, before the national ban on smoking in enclosed spaces came into effect in July.

I have no idea if they visited Worthing Hospital, but I can vouch for the fact that the ban was blatantly ignored before July, and was this week still being disregarded by people smoking in all areas of the hospital's grounds, including outside the main entrance.

A cursory glance at the hospital's main car park shrub beds reveals an almost continuous layer of cigarette butts, which are also strewn along the kerbsides.

But, hey, why specifically knock the hospital trust over this form of litter?

It is repeated in all of Worthing's town centre streets, a situation which has worsened drastically since pub smoking was banned last summer.

It used to be a case of just office and shop workers huddling on the pavements to feed their habit, and now this sad scenario is compounded by the addition of pub drinkers.

Frankly, Worthing's pavements and gutters are an absolute disgrace between the times when street cleaners arrive to clear away those thousands of discarded filter tips.

So it's an offence to drop cigarette ends in a public place, but that doesn't stop most smokers doing it.

There's a lot more work to be done in ending a practice which has persisted for well over 100 years!

Being an ex-smoker, I still have lingering sympathies with the diminishing band of nicotine-trapped, socially-viewed "pariahs".

I have no such feelings, however, for drivers who refuse to stop using hand-held mobile phones while behind the wheel.

You'd think they would be influenced by the case of young mum Keira Coultas, jailed for four years for texting while driving, and killing a cyclist in the process.

But, no, we still see them yackity-yacking away with only one hand on the steering wheel and their minds totally elsewhere.

And, too often, their reckless driving reflects the internet trend of "it's my space", so everyone else can go to hell!

Click here for Editor's My Space.