If you want to avoid smoke-filled pubs you will be better off in the south of England

May 12 2005

If you want to avoid smoke-filled pubs you will be better off in the south of England than in the north according to a snapshot survey published today by the British Medical Association (BMA). In an attempt to establish just how many pubs will be exempt from laws banning smoking in enclosed workplaces, the BMA found wide regional differences with a strong north-south divide.

Results from a BMA survey, Booze, fags and food, out today demonstrate there are a higher number of non-food pubs in the north of England than the south. Non-food pubs will be exempt from the proposed smokefree laws. The survey undermines the Government's claims that only 10-30% of pubs do not serve prepared food.

Leeds is the city that has the highest estimated number [88%] of non-food pubs in the BMA survey.

The BMA contacted a sample of metropolitan, city and London borough councils in England for this survey asking them how many pubs in their area did not prepare and serve food on their premises. Many councils were unable to provide the information requested. Estimate figures were provided for 29 areas.

Key figures from the survey:

Of the ten councils with the highest proportion of non-food pubs, 9 are towns or cities situated in the north of England or the Midlands Leeds had the highest estimate of non-food pubs in its council area (88%) while Bromley had the lowest (5%) 13 of the 29 respondents estimated that the proportion of non-food pubs in their area exceeded the Government's 0-30% estimate - 10 of these councils were located in the North or the Midlands 15 of the 29 respondents estimated the proportion of non-food pubs in their area fell within the Government's 0-30% estimate - 13 of these were in the South of England authority (London Borough of Bromley) estimated that the proportion of non-food pubs in their area fell below the Government's 10-30% estimate The BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson expressed her concern about how the Government would implement its proposed smokefree laws:

"How does the Government plan to implement its proposals when the information about non-food pubs is so hard to come by- A number of councils have told us that the Government's proposals are unenforceable. The Labour Government has just started its third term of office, it's time it showed leadership and banned smoking in all enclosed public places."

Given the difficulty in obtaining this data, Booze, fags and food must be viewed as snapshot survey. The BMA would urge councils to carry out more in- depth research in their areas, especially comparing data between deprived and more affluent districts.

Ian Foulkes, Director of Policy at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), added:

"We believe that the only method of protecting workers in indoor environments from the effects of tobacco is for all workplaces to be smokefree. It is also our view that Government's proposals will be totally unenforceable. No one should be required to work in smoky indoor environments. Perversely, these plans leave bar workers, who are already at the greatest levels of risk from second-hand smoke, unprotected from smokefree laws.

Workers in lower socioeconomic groups are already more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke. The north/south divide in Booze, fags and food shows that the Government's plans will make health inequalities worse. Cities with the highest levels of unemployment and deprivation will offer the least protection from passive smoking.

Dr Nathanson, stated: "Just as the burden of smoking falls heavily on the poorest, so does the burden of passive smoking. While the professional classes work in smoke-free offices, low-paid, casual and service workers work in smoky environments, risking lung cancer to make a living. A waitress in a smoky bar is exposed to levels of second-hand smoke that are six times greater than a doctor working in a smokefree surgery."