A three-day smoking ban in a small village
produced a mix of winners and losers.
Villagers in Walkington, in East Yorkshire, conducted a trial in pubs, shops, schools and businesses from Friday to Sunday.
General manager of the privately-owned Ferguson Fawcett Arms, Ray Clegg, said: "It went very well. We're a food pub and only 30% of our turnover is wet. It was pretty much a normal weekend for sales - maybe we took a bit less on Saturday, when the weather was pretty bad, but overall we're very confident about the smoking ban.
"There weren't really any hiccups - only a few of our customers moaned about 'Big Brother' and 'the nanny state'. We have 43 staff and they all loved it."
Roy Savage, leaseholder of the Dog and Duck, a Marston's pub, said: "The whole weekend was a great success. We're split half and half on sales, but a lot of our customers do smoke.
"We had a few moans, but nothing major. We got a lot of positive feedback from customers - nobody wants to eat in a smoky pub and generally speaking we feel confident about the ban starting."
Predictably, the only wet-led pub in the village did
suffer.
Sheila Chew, a Thwaites tenant at the Barrel Inn, said: "It affected my trade pretty badly on Friday - sales were probably down 50%.
"My pub is completely wet-led and my best customers are smokers. A cigarette and a pint go together, and if customers can't smoke they drink less. It's as simple as that.
"On the plus side, it was a bit more pleasant to work behind the bar and everyone co-operated - I didn't have to tell anyone off.
"I suppose the ban is coming and we're just going to have to deal with it."
Half the population is unaware of smoke-free legislation start date, says survey
Nearly half the English population is not aware that the smoking ban is going to come into force on 1 July, according to Smokefree England.
A survey carried out last month found that while 93% of people are aware that a ban is on its way, 45%
do not know its start date.
Smokefree England made the announcement as it launched an awareness advertising campaign on Saturday - 50 days before the ban is due to start. Adverts will appear on TV, promoting the ban and announcing its start date and what it means for smokers and non-smokers.
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "With only 50 days to go until England goes smoke-free, our aim is to ensure that everyone is aware of the new law, how it will affect them and what they need to do to prepare.
"Our snapshot survey shows that the majority of people know that smoke-free legislation is coming, but almost half the population is not aware that it comes into effect on 1 July.
"The campaign is a reminder to people of the start date and gives
examples of the range of locations that will be smoke-free," added Flint.
For more information visit
www.smokefreeengland.co.uk