'Cigarette vending machines should be banned'

Council leaders are calling for a total ban on coin-operated cigarette vending machines, after new figures showed that sales of cigarettes to underage children have risen by almost 50 per cent in the past year - The Daily Telegraph ​

The great British pub is in its worst-ever crisis with an astonishing 20,000 facing closure. A shocking 40 per cent of all boozers are heading for the bitter end because of the smoking ban, soaring taxes, cheap supermarket and the 'new puritans' (those against 24-hour drinking) - The People​

There have been 175 million fewer pints sold in the nine months from July to last April as smokers have been driven outside. Total sales of alcohol fell 8 per cent, compared to a steady three per cent fall in previous years, just under half of which was attributable to the smoking ban, according to research company Neilson - The Independent​

Pub operators spent an average of £6,200 a site on kitchen upgrades and other measures in the run-up to the smoking ban. Nowhere was the transformation more radical than at JD Wetherspoon, which for decades had built its reputation on cheap beer, fruit machines and no-frills pubs. Food-related sales (which include drinks bought with meals) account for more than 60 per cent of JD Wetherspoon's revenue. The Guardian​

Almost two thirds of publicans now support the smoking ban despite more than half seeing a drop in trade.The figure has risen to 64 per cent, up from the 57 per cent when the ban came in a year ago (figures are from The Publican ​survey) - Sky News​

The smoking ban has been described as the "single most important health measure for a generation". A leaked report by chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, reveals that 234,060 people gave up smoking in the months immediately before and after the law was introduced a year ago - a 22 per cent increase on the previous year - The Daily Telegraph​