Smoking in Pubs

Strong views for and against.
Read all about it here, and let us have your views.

Smoking in pubs banned from 1st July 2007

Opinion Poll

Wilmslow Pub
goes smoke-free

Lord Clyde

New South Manchester smoke-free bar

Letters from
pub-users

Send us news of smoke-free venues or let us have your opinions.

E-mail the Editor

Now the ban is bedding in, much of the protest is dying down and a few non-compliant have been prosecuted, the trade and the public seem to be accepting the ban as a fact of life. But, how is is affecting trade?

Early indications are that pubs with a "traditional" mainly wet trade have suffered the most, with die-hard smokers visiting less and staying less. Many back street boozers are having a hard time. Trapped between increasing rents from the pub-owning companies and a contracting customer base as more people drink at home, thay are in an unenviable position ,and we fear that many of them will be lost. February's Community Pub Week may be, ironically, the last time you will be able to use some of these gems.

The intoduction of the ban in the summer gave many the opportunity to use outdoor shelters, and this is an echo of the sight to be seen outside so many offices and other places of work. To what extent the smokers will harden themselves to the British winter is something that only time will tell.

Is there an upside? Cetainly, pubs are brighter, more pleasant places for the non-smoker. Are diners and non-smokers flocking to them? Maybe, but not enough. If we are not to lose too many of our pubs, we need to make a conscious effort to support them. We need to eat at them rather than in restaurants, we need to drink in them rather than visiting wine bars, and we need to socialise in them instead of staying at home. Use them or lose them!

Smoking in pubs to be banned from 2007
Much of the material in italics below is now of historic interest only, following the intoduction of the ban on smoking is to be banned in public places (including pubs, private clubs and restaurants) from 1st July 2007.
The British Beer and Pub Association, welcomed the ban as distinct from an exemption for private clubs. Such clubs serve around 1.2bn pints of beer every year and it was essential to have a “level playing field” with others in the industry.

Anyone caught smoking in a banned area can be fined £50. Those in charge of the premises face a £2,500 fine if they fail to stop smokers. They can also be charged on-the-spot fines of £200 if they fail to display no-smoking signs, with the penalty increasing to £1,000 if the issue goes to court.

However the ban could make things tough for many in the pub trade as they begin preparing customers and pubs for this cultural shift. Some firms have already begun converting premises to provide outside areas for smokers. Some in the industry fear that there is still the possibility that hundreds of community pubs will close and people will lose their jobs.

The less shrill commentators suspect that there may be a drop in business for the first few months, as smokers make a protest. This will be partly offset by non-smokers being more comfortable with thee prospect of a trip to the pub.
After this initial period, everyone will be accustomed to the idea, and trade wil return to normal, with the difference that the air inside will be cleaner and smokers will be outside in the garden or outside the door. This seems to have been the pattern in other parts of the world where the change has already been made. A number of pubs have made the move to clean air early, and many more have invested in canopies, big umbrellas and patio heaters, to cater for the refugees.

Opinion Poll

CAMRA's research showed that:

* 50% of adults disagree with a total ban on smoking in pubs and bars. 30% are in favour of a total ban, 29% of men and 32% of women support a total ban.
* Of regular pub users, only 18% of adults support a total ban
* Only 40% of non-smokers support a total ban compared with 11% of smokers
* 83% of adults support the view that pubs, where possible, should have a number of rooms to meet the needs of both smokers and non-smokers. Only 6% disagreed with this position.

Stubbed Out
The King William in Wilmslow experimented bravely with a ban on smoking in the pub. The Manchester Road Robinson's pub took this step on June 21st 2004.
The then Licensees, Billy and Denise Parkin took the controversial decision to safeguard the health of their staff and themselves. They appreciated how hard it will be for many to adjust, as they were both ex-smokers. We are told that most of the regulars who smoke were reconciled to the change. With the government planning to debate a total ban on the habit in public places, many see it as inevitable.
Non-smokers were delighted with the move to clean air, with some citing asthma or smelly clothes and hair as a major downside to the current pub scene. While there are some who fear that business will be lost as smokers go elsewhere, others cite an upturn in trade, as people who have been put off by the smoky atmosphere start to use pubs. A widespread ban would be neutral in terms of trade.

Smoker brings in pub smoking ban

Licensee Jeremy Lane has enforced a no-smoking policy at the Lord Clyde in Kerridge near Bollington
Drinkers at the newly refurbished Kerridge pub will no longer have to suffer a pain in the butt. Jeremy, who has been a smoker since he was 15 has banned smoking at the hugely popular Lord Clyde Inn, on Clarke Lane.

The pub reopened for business on December 9 after almost four weeks of work, and 26-year-old Jeremy felt it was the perfect time to apply the ban. But he’s provided an undercover heated smoking area for those who want to continue the habit.

Jeremy himself has been smoking up to ten a day from the age of 15 and is prepared to lead by example. "I’m a smoker myself and if I’m happy to come outside and have a cigarette, then everybody else should be," he said. "There are a total of four smokers on the staff and we are all behind it."

Cities such as Dublin and New York have introduced smoking bans, while councils, including Liverpool and Manchester, announced their intention to introduce legislation and ban smoking in government buildings.The Government has also announced a move to make all pubs serving food non-smoking by 2008.

Jeremy said: "In view of the forthcoming legislation, and the move everywhere to non-smoking in a food environment, it seemed the right time to make the move following the refurbishment.

"It took us about three months to decide and we came to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do. "There are so many places at the moment that you come out of and your clothes stink of cigarette smoke. Because I live locally, I spoke to a lot of people about this and it was about a 50-50 response.

"If you’ve got a group of four or five friends with one smoker, that group may decide to go elsewhere. But we think the majority of people will appreciate what we are trying to do."

Anyone who doesn’t notice a sign at the entrance, or the absence of ashtrays, and lights up inside the pub, will be politely asked to smoke outside instead. But Jeremy doesn’t expect any problems.

The opening night attracted about 60 people – one third of which were smokers – and he insisted that they were happy to enjoy their cigarettes outside.

"It’s going to be widely publicised so that hopefully smokers won’t be deterred, while people who don’t like going into smoky pubs will be attracted," he said. "A lot of regulars came in last night and they were quite happy about it."
(with thanks to the Macc Express)

A breath of fresh air
The Hillary Step, Whalley Range's new cask ale bar, opened in July. As you'll already have read in every publication that Manchester has to offer, it is a completely smoke free pub. No smoking of any kind is permitted on the premises, and there isn't even a kitchen with a chip pan to sully the atmosphere. Perhaps that's the real reason for the unusual name. The Hillary Step is apparently the last place where a tired climber can get a cup of tea on the climb up Mount Everest, and the atmosphere is notably pure, if a little rarefied. But you won't need bottles of oxygen to keep you going in this remarkable new establishment.

The ale is as pure as the air - no great surprise, given that the chap in charge is one Dave Yuill. He was last seen managing the highly regarded Marble Beerhouse a bit further down the road in Chorlton. Along with owner, Rob Goater, he's brought the refreshing taste of Thwaites to South Manchester, a beer that's normally found only in a few clubs locally. A financial tie means that Thwaites Thoroughbred and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber are the house beers. There are also two guest beer pumps supporting micro breweries from near and far - Phoenix, Pictish and Exmoor have been spotted recently. And there's a German wheat beer on draught too, König Ludwig Weissbier. I can't vouch for the wheat beer but all the ales have been good to excellent in my experience. Prices are what you'd expect for an upmarket bar in South Manchester, around £2 to £2.20 for a pint.

Various bottled beers are available, with organic lagers from Sam Smiths and Oko Krone, real Czech Budweiser, a range of Belgian beers and even a Polish beer, Zywiec. If your friends don't all drink beer, there's wine by the glass (from bottles, not bags in boxes), 13 malt whiskies, an assortment of coffees and even herbal teas.

So what's it like, being in a pub with no smoke? Well, the atmosphere is completely different in the literal sense, and yet just the same in the figurative sense. This bar has got off to a good start, despite the lack of students in the summer months, and it's been very busy on weekend evenings - so much so that it can be difficult to hold a conversation there. It quickly gets crowded and it can be tricky manoeuvring round the bar with a few glasses in your hands.

The noise is perhaps due to the simple décor and rather hard surfaces - wooden furniture, wooden floor, bare brick on one wall, brightly painted plaster on another. Or it may be down to the fact that the front wall is all French windows, opened right out on warm nights. Whatever the reason, it's not music - there's no TV, no juke box, no background music - at least, not yet. Just people having a good time. The overall effect is bright and airy - very "female friendly", to use an awful marketing phrase from the 90s.

Opening hours are (roughly) 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Wednesday, 12 to 11 from Thursday to Saturday and 12 to 10.30 on Sunday. They may go to all day opening once work on the rear beer garden is complete.

Memo to self: must try to have a really long session in the Step soon, to test my theory that my hangovers are caused by smoke, not alcohol….

Letters

Dear Editor,

I read with interest your CAMRA Magazine (at the Mercedes Benz showroom in Macclesfield).

I have for many years come home from nights out reeking of other people's fag smoke. I object to it.
I object to not having a choice in the matter, so my choice recently has been not to go out.

There is another reason I have stopped going to pubs, except ones that serve food and have a no-smoking area...
I suffer from a hereditary eye condition, iritis, that leaves me with a sore eye every so often. The medication for this is steroid drops and dilating drops. The effect of the medication is to make an already sore and swollen eye even more so. Add to this misery an atmosphere thick with smoke and the pain is too much to be able to enjoy a good night out. The culmulative effects of years of using the drops for various attacks of this disease is that the clear covering on the eye is thinned (the same as steroid cream does to skin). Now any cigarette smoke is not just unpleasant, it is actually painful.

I heard tell of a pub in Bakewell that had gone none-smoking, but I never managed to find it. I will be going to the King William in Wilmslow just as soon as I can to show support for their decision to ban smoking, and for a pleasant smelling, and painless evening.

I personally look forward to the day when the majority of pubs are either non-smoking. Smokers just don't realise how anti-social they are, and they don't seem to care.

In their defence I do know one smoker who is considerate, and I think she is great. I am really lucky in that the majority of my friends are non-smoking, and more are giving up all the time. We can take over a whole area of a pub, and it becomes non-smoking just because there are enough of us to fill the space.

It seems to be going OK as a policy in Ireland.

Yours sincerely,
(Name & Address supplied)