Smoking in beer gardens could soon be banned under new measures to stop smokers

Smoking in beer gardens could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a radical plan to help Brits kick the habit once and for all.

The proposal has come as part of an independent review into tobacco led by Dr. Javed Khan OBE, which also pushes for the legal age required to purchase cigarettes to be increased.

The review, published this morning, said it aims to also ‘increase smoke-free places to make smoke-free the social norm’.

Dr. Khan explained: “Increasing smoke-free spaces in hospitality, hospital grounds and outside public spaces, while protecting non-smokers in social housing, is the natural next step.

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“I want local authorities in England to go further and ban smoking in all outdoor areas where children are present.

“For example, public beaches and outside civic office grounds (central and local government buildings) should all be completely smoke-free places.”

Read More: E-cigarettes could soon be prescribed on NHS to help millions quit smoking

Khan’s review argues that despite the famous 2007 indoor smoking ban, children and families are still being exposed to second-hand smoke in pub gardens and pavement cafes across the country.

It added: “Worse still, some outlets have devised ‘smoking shelters’ so extreme, that while technically within the law, they offer staff and customers next to no protection from the toxic smoke.

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“Indeed, for many shisha bars, this is a fundamental part of their business model.”

Dr. Khan said his review will one day help to highlight ‘key interventions which can help the government achieve its ambitions to be smoke-free by 2030 and tackle health disparities’.

He previously told The Times that if ‘nothing different is done’ in the approach to curbing the use of cigarettes, then the target to make the UK smoke-free by 2030 would not be met.

The recommendations to deter people from smoking include:

• Raising the age people can smoke by a year every year, so eventually no one will be able to buy cigarettes
• Painting cigarettes green or brown
• Marking them with the specific number of ‘minutes of life lost’
• Banning films which show smokers before the 9pm watershed
• Give all new films with smoking scenes an 18 rating
• Banning people who live in social housing from smoking in their own home
• Banning smoking in beer gardens and other public places
• Raising the price of a pack by 30% overnight

The government first announced its pledge to make England ‘smoke-free’ by 2030 in 2019. Smoke-free status is officially recognised by the Government when 5% or less of an area’s population are smokers.