SOME licensees say fears about the smoking ban have materialised. They say that trade has been decimated during its first month.

Many smokers furious at the ban have already boycotted pubs and vowed not to return.

Rumours are rife within the industry that somebody might launch a legal challenge to try and get the ban overturned. They would have to do so within a year and a day since the new law was enacted on 2 July.

While some staff have been celebrating working in a cleaner environment, licensees are already counting the cost of lost business.

Mariners’ Inn licensee Tina Power said that, contrary to what Health minister Peter Roffey and other deputies predicted, non-smokers have not frequented more.

‘Our July takings are the equivalent of a wet, cold and miserable January month. Is this what we should be experiencing in July?’ she said.

‘At some points, we have had more customers outside the pub smoking than are sat inside the pub drinking.

‘I think perhaps a review of this should be taken into account because is that not why 200 pubs have closed down in Ireland?

‘All I think it is creating is more drinking at home, where it can be done in excess and can result in domestic violence.’

Mrs Power said that her customers in general were not happy with the ban and predicted she would not be seeing many of them in the winter months.

She added that there had been no trouble from anyone trying to light up inside, but staff were now requesting longer and more breaks because they had to go outside specifically to smoke.

Some smokers, too, are frustrated.

‘They should bring it back in the pubs,’ said ground worker Ray Jones, 51, who would like to see a split, with one bar smoking and the other not.

‘I think it has affected everybody and I have seen less people since the smoking ban came in. The pubs are empty and, when the bad weather comes, you won’t see them either because they will sit at home and smoke.’

One doorman said he had been working the pubs for 28 years and he had never seen trade so bad.