Scottish licensees face tough winter, trade leader warns

The winter months and tougher enforcement are about to tighten the screw on pubs in Scotland already struggling with the smoking ban, according to one trade leader.

Speaking on the six-month anniversary of the ban, Paul Waterson, the chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said he had serious concerns for the pub trade over the coming months.

"The next six months will be the test, when we will see exactly what the ban means," he said. "We are pessimistic about how it will be patrolled by the authorities. A lot of evidence suggests there is already a problem with noise and litter, but a lot of pubs have no choice but to have people standing outside on the pavement."

Mr Waterson said the first six months of the ban had been "relatively easy" for publicans due to the World Cup and the hot weather.

Despite this the SLTA claims that trade was still down 11 per cent in pubs, while food sales were down three per cent.

On the issue of compliance, Mr Waterson said that pubs had been "excellent". He added: "I have no evidence of any pubs being fined for breaching the smoking ban."

This is despite a survey in the Scotsman newspaper claiming that 211 fixed-penalty notices had been issued to premises and individuals so far.

Official figures were due to be published by the Scottish Executive on Saturday, but up until June 30 only 40 fines had been issued.

A Scottish Executive spokeswoman said: "The vast majority of people and premises are complying with the ban and it has been accepted by the majority of people."

Premises that allow people to smoke face a £200 fine, while individuals face a fine of £50.