Pete Robinson: Smokers come flooding in

Anyone who's been watching the news bulletins concerning the floods may have noticed a striking scene viewed from the helicopter's camera where the fast flowing waters are rising towards a pub. The outside seating is arranged in two tiers with the lowest level already under a few inches of water, perhaps sixteen tables in all.

Yet every single table was STILL taken by smokers who by now were having to crouch on the tables. Of course the inside area may well have been packed to the rafters with non-smokers enjoying the new, 'cleaner' atmosphere. Although somehow I doubt it.

Since the introduction of the smoking ban one peculiar observation has been the groups of smokers happily socialising and networking outside pubs who, a month ago, would never have spoken to one another. I'd suggest that to many smokers this rather pleasant phenomenon is compensating for their inconvenience, for now at least.

I don't believe they'll be out there in significant numbers later this year when the temperature drops. Let's not forget the smoker has always struggled to get down to his local in all weathers. Through rain, snow, hail and blizzard he's got there somehow. Perhaps even floods.

But where is the incentive now? Gone is the warm welcome, the relaxed atmosphere and the cosy chat with the bar staff. All the smoker can anticipate is banishment to a draughty smoking shelter like a badly behaved child, while children themselves are targeted by many pubs as 'the new opportunity'. I wonder if smoking customers will make the effort come the winter? Only time will tell.