Heavy smokers still visit the pub, poll finds

More than half of all 'heavy smokers' visit their local pub as often as they did before the introduction of the smoking ban, a Greene King survey has revealed.

A poll of 1,600 of the Suffolk brewer's English pub customers conducted last month showed that 56 per cent of heavy smokers had not changed their visiting habits, while 43 per cent said they visited their local pub less than before the start of the ban.

Nearly 60 per cent of heavy smokers who visited less drank at home instead, the poll found.

However 56 per cent of heavy smokers and 73 per cent of 'light smokers' said their visits to the pub remained unchanged.

Three per cent of light smokers and one per cent of heavy smokers said they actually visited the pub more since the ban's introduction.

Among non-smokers, 18 per cent said they visited the pub more since the ban came in than before, 79 per cent the same and three per cent less.

Around 600 of Greene King's house managers, lessees and tenants were also polled on the impact of the ban.

Around 38 per cent reported more interest in food, 30 per cent said they had seen a rise in the number of families visiting their pubs, while a similar number reported more visits by female customers.

Across Greene King's Scottish estate, more than half of the group's managers saw more women in their pubs, while nearly 60 per cent of managers reported a rise in the number of couples.

Around a fifth of their English counterparts saw a rise in couples visiting their establishments.

Greene King today announced first half turnover up six per cent at £446m, with operating profits up 11 per cent at £111.8m.