Caroline Flint.There are 100 days left to go until smoking in all enclosed public places in England will be illegal. To mark the occasion, the Department for Health is sending out information packs and no-smoking signs to some 1.7 million businesses across the country to prepare them for the change in legislation.
The Wetherspoons at Victoria Station was selected as the first business to receive a smoking ban fun pack. They were delivered, along with an oversized calendar to aid the countdown process, by MP Caroline Flint, the Minister for Public Health, as disgruntled smokers looked on.
A former smoker herself, she said: "The new law will protect everyone from the harm of secondhand smoke at work and in public places, and will save lives." Listen to her here
As of July 1, bosses will have to ensure that employees and customers are aware buildings are smoke free by clearly display non-smoking signs. They are also responsible for the slightly thornier task of telling off anyone caught having a sly fag on the premises and there are of course hefty fines for failure to comply.
Although Ms Flint maintains that people will be ready for the ban, feelings on the subject at Wetherspoons Victoria were mixed. Listen here
But it's not all bad news for smokers. It's no coincidence that the ban will come into force in the summer when you won't have to battle the elements for your nicotine fix. And when smoking was banned in NYC back in 2003, there were reports that smoking area socializing was all the rage.
So as the final countdown begins, do you think England is ready to go smoke free? And can you think of any use for the thousands of pub ashtrays that will be disused come July?
