Nearly half of UK pub landlords report they have had to lay off staff because of the smoking ban and three-quarters report the ban has been bad for business, according to a survey.

Of the 912 licensees surveyed by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the professional body for the licensed retail sector, and the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations (FLVA), 74 per cent report that the smoking ban has been bad for business – with 47 per cent laying off staff as a direct result. 42 per cent said the proposed vending machine ban would damage profits.
In 2006, before the smoking ban, 54 per cent of pub trade was estimated to come from smokers – today this is just 38 per cent, with almost no increase in trade from non-smokers to compensate for the losses.
“As an industry we have already suffered massive collateral damage in the war against tobacco,” said John McNamara, Chief Executive of BII. “The aim of the Government was to stop smokers from smoking – all that it seems to have achieved is to stop smokers from going to pubs, encouraging them to stay at home to drink and smoke as much as they like,” he added. (pi)