Reflecting on the end of an era

It's the biggest thing to hit pubs since the introduction of the drink-drive laws. Licensees tell Noli Dinkovski what the smoke ban means to them

Alan Dreja, Royal Oak, Southampton

"I appreciate the reasons why it is being done, but I feel that it's killing the traditional idea of what a pub is. For hundreds of years these establishments have been around to allow you to exercise your little vices at the end of a hard working day - drinking, smoking, gambling, enjoying a game of pool. We are a traditional pub serving some food at lunchtime, but our evenings are very much wet-led. I am concerned about the ban and I'm sad that the pub as an institution is changing."

Paul Belcher, Teddington Arms, Teddington, Middlesex

"Smoke masks bad odours such as sweat and stale drink, so pubs will smell a lot worse. I don't smoke but I still think it smells better than those other aromas. The ban is a good thing for most drinkers and people who like to eat out, but it's not going to be good for every pub. I don't have a beer garden so logistically it's a bit of a nightmare."

Tim Hunter, Red Lion, Preston, Hertfordshire

"I have mixed feelings. The smell of a cheap cigar is horrible, but the waft of a Havana is beautiful. Some cigarette smokers can be selfish when they fail to consider the effect their smoke has on others, but on the other hand, the pub will lose some of its charm. We have a lovely traditional pub with oak beams and a fireplace and the smoky feel suits the atmosphere."

Giles Evans, Ley Arms, Kenn, Devon

"The only thing I don't like about the ban is that it infringes civil liberties. But then again we'll have no more ashtrays to clean. In all honesty, it's time to look forward - it will bring a new set of people out to pubs and won't affect our business adversely. The wet-led pubs will definitely suffer, but we have a large food operation."

David Sax, The Cow, Parkstone, Dorset

"Every pub, no matter how trendy or how old, has groups of guys who like to drink and smoke, and for them it's like a marriage. But talking to these people who have been drinking and smoking all their adult lives, you learn that most of them are embracing it as a real opportunity to kick the habit. Even the hardened ones are welcoming the ban. Pubs and pub-owners are seeing it as an opportunity to get people into their premises who wouldn't usually visit. We are losing something, but I don't think it's a bad thing."

Stuart Wright, Brewery Tap, Peterborough, Cambs

"We'll have less cleaning to do for a start - clothes, walls, anything white in the pub will no longer be tarnished by tar. I feel positive about it - if people need something to do with their hands I hope that they'll drink more. But I do have concerns about the threat of smoking being banned from all door perimeter areas: I think that compromises human rights too severely."

Allan Sharratt, Church House Inn, Bollington, Cheshire

"We went no-smoking at the start of May as we took the view that it was better to begin earlier rather than later. The extra time has been invaluable for us - even those who originally said they would go somewhere else have started to come back. Smokers themselves are happy to embrace change, and two-thirds have remained loyal, despite having the option of visiting other pubs where they could smoke."

Dominic Kiziuk, Sun Hotel & Bar, Lancaster, Lancs

"People are coming to terms with the ban more and more, just because smoking is becoming increasingly unacceptable as a social habit. As recently as two years ago you could still smoke in restaurants, but now you couldn't imagine lighting up in most. When we carried out our own survey, 80% of our customers - including smokers and non-smokers - said that the ban is a good thing."

Linda Smith, Old House at Home, Milton, Hampshire

"I won't miss it at all. I'm a casualty of passive smoking, having been told two years ago that I'm suffering from asthma caused by smoke inhalation. As a result, I have to use inhalers every day. Now I feel hopeful that my health will improve. Thank goodness it's the law and not me having to make the decision because if I made it a no-smoking pub a number of my customers would find somewhere else to drink."

Nigel Anstead, White Horse, Bedford

"I don't think the ban will affect the character of my pub at all, but we can never be sure until it actually arrives. The smokers might suffer a few withdrawal symptoms, but I'm sure we'll be able to cope with that. Many of the events we run, such as quizzes, attract non-smokers and the majority of my customers are looking forward to a smoke-free environment."

Gerry Price, The Inn, West End, Surrey

"We've been smoke-free for a year and the place is much cleaner. We just think it's wonderful to work here now. The staff prefer it - they no longer have to dump their clothes in a nasty pile at the end of the day because they stink so much. As workplaces have been smoke-free for some time now, people are used to having to go somewhere else to smoke, so it won't be a major culture shock."

David Rumble, Morlais Tavern, Dowlais, Mid Glamorgan

"We are a very mixed pub here - our customers include smokers of all ages. The pub feels so much cleaner since the Welsh ban came into force. It has been redecorated as well, which has made it feel much fresher. We live upstairs and appreciate the difference as smoke no longer encroaches up there. I'm in the process of building a patio area beside the restaurant, covered with a big awning - people can smoke there if they wish."

Danny Montila, The Lounge, Chislehurst, Kent

"Times have changed - a smoker is more of a social outcast these days. I gave up smoking recently, and I'm finding that the closer we get to the ban starting, the more people are giving up or planning to give up. In some respects I think it will be a shame, but generally I think it's for the better. In a year's time when people look back, they won't be able to believe they used to smoke in bars and pubs. People will get used to it really quickly."

Sean Arnett, The Swan at the Vineyard, Lamberhurst, Kent

"Pubs won't quite be the same - the traditional pub is part of British culture. We are food-led but often in the early evening I get a crowd in and they all smoke. A large number of non-smokers would say that when you go to a pub you expect people to smoke. The ban implies that people are stupid and can't make decisions for themselves any more."

John Ellis, Crown Inn, Oakengates, Shropshire

"Our premises are already two-thirds non-smoking. Two of our rooms are completely no-smoking and the third one is no-smoking at the bar, even though quite a number of our customers smoke. I think that people are generally aware of the fact that the ban is coming. From a personal point of view I won't be sorry to see the back of smoking, but I resent government interference telling me how to run my business and my life. My existing arrangement works well as it is."

Graeme Jack, The Bamburgh, South Shields, Tyneside

"We have locals who sit in the corner and smoke all day. One or two of them aren't very happy about the ban as they will be forced to go outside to smoke. That may be fine in the summer, but when it comes to later in the year and a gale-force wind is blowing in from the North Sea, it might be a very different matter."

Themis Christou, Axe & Compasses, Arkesden, Essex

"We are all surmising about the effects of the ban and hope it won't change the way of life at the pub, but we don't know what will happen. Our restaurant and lounge has been non-smoking for years, so in a way we are about 80% there already, but we're blessed with another little bar round the corner where people could smoke. Thankfully, many smokers have promised us it