Pubs to 'drop food for cigarettes'

The study by The Publican shows that 20% of licensees are ready to stop selling food if it means they can continue allowing their customers to smoke in their pub.

According to the study, up to 10,000 pubs would prefer to drop food from their premises than cigarettes once the government's smoking ban takes effect in 2007.

"We are a seaside pub, and during the summer we do well on food, but a lot of our regulars are smokers, so we will have to give up food," Vicki Sinclair, proprietor of the South Devon in Dawlish, told The Publican.

"I'm very angry that we are being dictated to like this."

The smoking ban announced this week by health secretary Patricia Hewitt exempts pubs that do not serve food and private members' clubs from the legislation.

Several ministers, including Hewitt, had pushed for an outright ban, as Scotland and Northern Ireland have recently announced, but were blocked by defence chief John Reid and the prime minister.

Health campaigners criticised the partial ban as ineffective, while The Publican's report suggests that only one in four pub landlords support the much-maligned legislation.

Two-thirds said they do not expect any significant rises in food sales as a result of the bill.