Of all the unintended consequences of the UK indoor tobacco bans enacted in 2006 and 2007, the transformation of beer gardens and outside seating areas into de facto al fresco smoking lounges is one of the most visible.Unintended? Apart from the blather about people quitting smoking, the whole thing was that smokers would have to go outside.
Many publicans feared a planned review of the initial legislation would extend the ban into beer gardens and doorways, damaging trade. But in 2010 the Department of Health in England said there were "no plans" to revisit the scope of the ban and the devolved governments have shown no inclination to reverse it.Well, maybe those who would rather drink in unpolluted fresh air and not hanging around with smokers should have thought about this first. The effect of the smoking ban was always going to be that rather than regulars staying in their favorite place, propping up the bar, that they would move outside.
It's a situation that frustrates those who would rather dine or drink in unpolluted fresh air.
"If people want to smoke outdoors they should be able to, but you don't want kids going where there are people smoking," says Harpham.
As a result, she says, families are often deterred from visiting pub gardens or dining outdoors lest those on adjacent tables set a bad example.
Her solution is for outdoor smoking and non-smoking areas.Right. And after you've got separate areas, you'll then have people at the edge of the non-smoking areas kicking up a storm that they're still near the smokers, at which point, her solution will undoubtedly be to ban all outdoor smoking, and then you can really kiss goodbye to the last remaining pubs*.
* A lot of pubs aren't pubs now. They might be called the Rose and Crown or The Bell, but they're really restaurants in a pub building.
