Mixed results after year of smoking ban in Wales

Pubs in parts of Wales are considering closing their doors on week nights as they continue to struggle with the impact of the smoking ban.

The ban was enforced in Wales a year ago today and John Price, secretary of the Wales LVA and licensee of the Bush Hotel in Blaenclydach, Rhondda said it has damaged the trade beyond repair.

He said: "A lot of our pubs are talking about closing their doors for three nights a week and only opening at weekends.

"People don't come out now. They are buying booze in the supermarkets and staying at home.

"My own trade is terrible. There was a point last week where I only took £50 over two days."

But Alan Rohman of The Brunswick, a food-led pub in Swansea, said the ban had helped boost business: "If anything the number of people coming to the pub has increased."

Carol Robins of The Clifton in Cardiff added: "It is much better for bar staff now and most people are quite satisfied to go out into the yard area to smoke."

Brains Brewery, which owns around 250 pubs in Wales said the ban had boosted food sales but it was too early to draw conclusions about its effects.

Retail director Philip Lay said: "It is still too early to be definitive on specific trading patterns post smoking ban, particularly because the weather has played such a factor since its introduction."

• According to the Welsh Assembly, 84 per cent of adults in Wales support smoke-free public places, compared with 71 per cent before the law came into force. So far 79 people in Wales have been fined for breaking the ban.