JD Wetherspoon is to ban smoking in all its pubs from May next year, with one in ten of its 650 pubs stubbing out smokers by May this year, it announced today.

The chain has been a pioneer of non-smoking pubs and earlier this month opened a non-smoking Lloyds No 1 in Exeter.

Butt out: end of the line for smokers

A new non-smoking Wetherspoon’s in Swindon is set to open near the end of March.

Chairman Tim Martin said, with the Government introducing a ban in 2008 and an increasing percentage of people no longer smoking, the time was right to increase the tempo when it came to non-smoking pubs.

“An increasing percentage of the population are giving up smoking and a significant number of people are staying away from pubs and restaurants because they are too smoky.

“JD Wetherspoon pioneered non-smoking areas but we now feel it is the right time to go one step further,” he said.

The Government’s plans, if anything, were not tight enough, he added.

“The Government’s approach to the issue of a smoking ban does not make sense, since pubs can get around it by giving up food sales. We believe our approach of a complete ban after a period of notice is the right one.”

by Nic Paton

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