Smoking: Should it be banned in Wales' beer gardens?

Campaigners have called for smoking to be banned in pub gardens and outdoor restaurant seating in Wales.

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) Wales wants a current law to be extended to include outdoor hospitality.

Legislation banning smoking in the grounds of schools, hospitals and in playgrounds came into force in March.

But a hospitality trade body said extending the ban would be a "hugely disproportionate step".

Ash said five local authorities in England had banned smoking in the pavement seating areas of pubs, cafes and restaurants.

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It has the backing of the children's commissioner Sally Holland, who said it would "de-normalise" smoking in the eyes of children, making them less likely to take up the habit themselves and protecting them from second-hand smoke.

Suzanne Cass, Ash Wales chief executive, said it was important to extend the ban to beer gardens where young people and families with children gathered.

"This is particularly important in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when many more people choose to sit outdoors when possible and smokers and non-smokers find themselves sitting alongside each other," she said.

She also called for increased funding to help smokers quit.

Ash Wales says the pandemic has meant more people sitting outside to eat and drink

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said it would be a "hugely disproportionate step" that would deter customers from businesses that are in a "very fragile state following months of closure" due to the pandemic.

"It would impose a burden on our hard-working staff, who can well do without the risk of conflict that could arise when challenging customers breaching the rule especially now, when they are already coping with the extra burden of Covid regulations and maintaining social distancing," she said.

Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, said "pubs aren't health clubs" and further regulation when the industry was trying to recover from the pandemic would be "monumentally stupid".

Deputy minister for mental health and well-being, Lynne Neagle, said: "The Welsh government is taking action to reduce the health impacts of smoking and we intend to build upon the measures we introduced on 1 March 2021.

"We are committed to our longer-term goal of making more of Wales' public spaces smoke-free, in helping people to make positive changes to their health and well-being and to supporting our aim of a smoke-free Wales."