Toucan

The drop in trade following the smoking ban has been worse than expected and one in three pubs may close as a result, a survey has found.

On the first anniversary of the smoking ban, research on behalf of the pub trade magazine Morning Advertiser shows more than one in three (35 per cent) of pub landlords think their pub might close in the foreseeable future.

More than three quarters (77 per cent) of licensees blame the ban for a decline in their business. The credit crunch and prices of drinks rising faster than inflation are also being blamed.

However, consumers are happy with eight out of ten pub-goers "delighted" with the ban.

Andrew Pring, editor of the Morning Advertiser said: "It is great to hear that consumers now prefer the pub environment and clearly most landlords have really raised their game.

"But we have seen record pub closures despite the great strides made to improve quality and service to help counter the effect of the ban because people cannot afford to visit the pub as often."

Andrew Pring added that pubs needed government support to carry on. He said: "Government can offer some relief by abandoning their own inflation-busting increases in duty of two per cent over inflation for the next four. If they don't they will cripple the pub trade."

The survey of 300 landlords and 2,000 adults also found 63 per cent revealed the drop in trade was worse than they expected.

Seven in ten pub managers said they had made a significant investment in preparation for the ban and four in ten felt the impact would have been much worse without the time and money spent.

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