Pub owners across Swindon have been reacting to the government’s proposal to ban smoking in some outdoor spaces, including pub gardens and outdoor restaurants.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is considering implementing the ban to address the number of preventable deaths caused by smoking and to alleviate the pressure on the NHS in England.

But some local pubs are already concerned about the plans, particularly around enforcing the rules and policing people themselves when they already have so many other things to focus on.

John Beeden of The New Calley Arms, a family-run pub in Wanborough, said: “I think having areas that are smoke-free is a good idea, but I think with our business it could cause a big problem because a lot of our customers do smoke.

“I’m a non-smoker and sometimes I sit in the pub garden and have a beer and a meal and it’s not nice having smoke blowing over near you.

"But at least if there’s one area where people can smoke then it's not an issue. Personally, I think banning it completely from the premises is not a good idea.

“I think there are bigger issues, things like vaping need to be dealt with first before they bring in rules that will cause damage to businesses.”

Abhi, The Runner pub landlord, said: “It will impact us heavily. I can understand the ban indoors and I remember when that happened, but outdoors it is not disturbing anyone.

"I firmly believe people should be allowed to smoke in the pub gardens – it’s a place where people go to unwind and relax and everyone has their own way of doing things.

“If you drink excessively it will impact your health and it’s the same thing with smoking, but it’s fine in moderation.

"If you stop people in one way, they will find another way to do things and maybe they might find an even worse way to do things, so it’s better to have it in a controlled environment.

“People know they can’t smoke inside, but it’s hard to police people outdoors and it’s a very grey area of where they can and can’t smoke.”

Meanwhile Charlotte Thornton, landlady of The Rolleston Arms and Levels Nightclub, shared her confusion over the proposal.

She said: “It will massively affect us because we don’t actually have a smoking area. We just have the front of the building where everyone gathers to smoke and if they are proposing that people can’t smoke there, I don’t know what the alternative is.

"I’m a smoker myself but if I’m in a pub garden, especially if it’s close together, I won’t smoke anyway.

“But if it’s just the pub garden I guess they are considering those people who just want to sit outside in the sun or have a meal in the sun, so if it’s limited to pub gardens, it doesn’t affect us.

"But we have got benches out the front, so does that count as a pub garden even if it isn’t?

“I’ve heard a lot of promoters or venue owners from when the smoking indoors ban came in saying it massively impacted sales as suddenly everyone was outside. 

"I guess with something like this, it makes it 10 times worse because then everyone might have to walk to a designated area and then you’re losing your customers for even longer.

"It wouldn’t be great, but venues have gotten through it before, so I’m sure we’ll get through it again. I think it will just make people a little bit more cautious.”