Wetherspoon chairman calls for smoking ban

JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has called on the government to ban smoking in all pubs by January 2006.

He said that an outright ban would be the best way forward for the pub industry and better in the long term than a piecemeal ban across the country.

"As I understand it, the medical arguments about passive smoking are weak and debatable. However, since the early 1970s, the number of smokers has declined from approximately 55 per cent of adults to around 27 per cent," he said.

"Wetherspoon has tried to look at the issue from every angle and during the past 12 years has invested more than £60 million to try and accommodate both sides, through the combination of advanced ventilation systems and spacious non-smoking areas."

He argues that as three-quarters of the population do not smoke the result is that some people don't go the pub at all because of their objection to the smoky atmosphere.

"The experience of California, where smoking was banned several years ago, indicates that pubs and restaurants can thrive, after a couple of very lean years, following a smoking ban," he said.

"However, it would be commercial suicide for a pub company to prohibit smoking in the absence of a nationwide ban by the government. Going it alone, in my opinion, is not a viable option in the pub world."