THE GUV'NOR

The licensee of the Radnor Arms in Corston, Wiltshire, fears he will have to throw two years' hard work down the toilet and sell his business if a smoking ban comes in

Eamonn Kemp

Has the Government considered what its proposals to ban smoking in pubs that serve food really means in practice? At my pub, the Radnor Arms, about three-quarters of my income comes from food - in fact we have served up to 150 meals on Sundays. But the rest of my revenue comes from the regular drinkers, most of whom smoke - and I rely on every penny to make ends meet.

Like many other pubs, the Radnor Arms consists of just one open-plan room plus another bar in the pub's skittle alley - so making a separate smoking room isn't an option.

Even dividing the bar into two separate areas would be difficult as our customers enjoy watching major sporting events such as the rugby internationals and we need all the space to screen these.

But there are other ways of keeping the air clear and in the new year I'm investing in a state-of-the-art ventilation system to pull any smoke away from the dining area.

In my experience smoking just isn't a problem - in any group of friends you'll find some that smoke and some that don't - they accept each other and it's all part of the traditional pub atmosphere. As the only pub in Corston, if I ban smoking, I am worried that people will choose to drive to a smokers' pub.

Has the Government thought how their proposals could increase drink driving, particularly in rural areas where many villages only have one pub?

I've spent the last two years working 18-hour days to build up this business. If I'm forced to do what the Government wants rather than what my customers want the effect will be dire and I will probably have to sell my business and throw all that hard work away.