What the Sunday papers said

Pub customers face a nasty shock when the next spate of smoking bans come into force later this year. Findings of a survey by soft drinks' maker Britvic and pub trade paper The Publican​, suggest much more has to be done to prepare the public for the new regulations, which arrive in England and Wales in July and April respectively. 40 per cent of customers still believe smoking will be allowed in pubs after the ban comes in, while 60 per cent did not know when the ban comes into effect. James Shorthouse of property agent Christie & Co said the public's ignorance "wasn't surprising when you consider the government's absolute silence on the matter". - Sunday Telegraph​

Established awnings companies are warning that 'canvas cowboys' are rushing to offer pub chains cut-price smoking shelters that are unlikely to last more than one winter. Faced with a smoking ban coming into force this year the quest for legal and comfortable smoking zones has seen a huge increase in orders being placed with awnings companies. Shewsbury-based Shading By Design said orders for surveys and quotes were up 1,000 per cent on last year. - Observer​

Children as young as 12 are being diagnosed as alcoholics, amid growing concerns about binge-drinking in Britain. Record numbers of pre-teens and teenagers now require hospital treatment for drink-related disorders, a survey for the IOS​ shows. Doctors fear the drinks industry is deliberately targeting the young, promoting alcopops and offering alcohol at historically low prices. - Independent On Sunday​

Expected to announce 'stonking' figures this week is brewer Scottish & Newcastle, buoyed by a hot summer, the World Cup and a booming Russian business. Despite fears over the looming smoking ban S&N's shares are trading at 572p, their highest in 12 months. And there is bid speculation too, with rival SABMiller believed to be a possible suitor. - Observer​

Scottish & Newcastle is poised to enter the Vietnamese market after forming a joint venture with Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation. The pair is thought to have been awarded a licence to build a brewery in Long An province. At this week's results announcement, S&N are expected to announce details of a global cost-cutting programme. - Sunday Times​

The surging popularity of Scotch whisky has prompted Diageo, the world's largest drinks company, to build the first major whisky distillery in Scotland in more than 30 years at a cost of £100m. Scotch is growing in popularity in the Far East; the Scotch Whisky Association says demand in China alone has risen 46-fold in the past six years. - Independent On Sunday​

Jean Coussins, a former communist who became the champion of 24 hour drinking for the alcohol industry, has been appointed to the House of Lords as a 'people's peer'. Coussins, who headed the Portman Group until last year, is one of six new non-party political peers whose names were on a list slipped out during the Parliamentary recess last week. Angus MacNeil, the Scottish Nationalist MP who triggered the police enquiry into the cash-for-honours affair, slammed Coussins' 'people's peerage': "It's hard to see how a former apologist for Big Alcohol can fit the description. We need a House of Lords that is truly representative of its ordinary citizens, not a prisoner of corporate interests." Coussins has rejected claims she lobbied for the drinks industry and has said the Portman Group exists solely to promote responsible drinking. - Mail On Sunday​

And finally…

After 43 days without lighting up, the members of the European parliament have reversed a decision forbidding smoking in their buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg. A 12-member committee of MEPs, which included some smokers, decided that the ban was "unenforceable". Despite being labelled hypocrites by critics and health groups, senior officials said the U-turn was necessary after a revolt by MEPs and staff, who began smoking everywhere in protest at the restrictions. - Sunday Times​