Pub bosses slam plans for outside smoking ban

PUB industry bosses and brewers have criticised reported plans to ban smoking in beer gardens, as part of a drive to improve public health.

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Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, told the Press Association: “I’m no fan of smoking, but I just can’t see how this will improve health outcomes if you move people from smoking in a pub garden to smoking at home. It doesn’t really make any sense to me. It feels really ill-thought-through.”

Mr Jowsey, whose company runs more than 1,600 pubs across the UK, added: “It would also reduce footfall and revenue into pubs.