What the Sunday papers say

The Observer

• City Councils across Britain are now drawing up radical plans to outlaw smoking in public places, with some considering draconian blanket bans in pubs and clubs. Click here to read more on thePublican.com

Sir Ian Prosser, the former Bass and Six Continents chairman, has written to leading institutional investors to defend his reputation in the wake of his decision to step aside as chairman-elect of J Sainsbury.

Restaurants and hotels are making up to 4,500 per cent profit by selling customers filtered tap water.

The Mail on Sunday​

• Retail entrepreneur Tom Hunter and property tycoon Nick Leslau have teamed up to buy 220 pubs from Spirit Group in a deal worth £500m. Spirit will sign 30-year leases and continue to run the pubs. Click here to read more on thePublican.com

Enterprise Inns is likely to become the first FTSE100 pub company in the quarterly reshuffle this week. Click here to read more on thePublican.com

Celebrated financier Guy Hands, who once earned a record £40m in one year, took home a miserly £189,000 in the year ending to March 2003.

The Sunday Times​

• Enterprise Inns (37), JD Wetherspoon (45) and Whitbread (42) are among a list of the 50 most unloved companies by the stock market. The list is deduced by comparing a series of key measures against share price.

Britain's red tape burden is out of control and has soared to estimates of £30 billion according to figures from The British Chambers of Commerce.

The European Commission is taking the British government to court over its refusal to sign to part of the working-time directive and the controversial 48-hour working week.

The Sunday Telegraph​

• Investors should follow Tim Martin, founder of JD Wetherspoon, out of the managed pub company. Mr Martin, who stepped down last week, still owns 16 per cent of the company and a likely share sale will drag the stock down.

The Sunday Express​

• Fast-food giant McDonald's will this month launch the biggest initiative in its history with a £75m investment in health foods to drive sales across Europe.

Chancellor Gordon Brown must use the Budget to cut the levels of red tape that is swamping UK business, says the British Chambers of Commerce.

Council tax bills have risen by an average of 70 per cent under Labour.

The Independent on Sunday​

• Jon Moulton's venture capital firm Alchemy Partners, and Michael Dell, the US software billionaire, stand to make a profit of more than £55m from the buyout of computer firm Riverdeep - doubling their money in 10 months. Alchemy owns InnSpired Pub Company.