As the winter draws in more pubs are locking the doors and allowing their patrons to smoke, according to a report in the Sunday People.
In a move that recalls the 'lock-in' drinking sessions of the pre-24 hour licensing era, the newspaper claims that more landlords are allowing their customers to smoke indoors in favour of them being forced outside to brave the cold.
It is also reported that Yorkshire has the highest number of licensees refusing to enforce a ban with five per cent of landlords flouting the law despite the threat of legal action.
One Suffolk licensee told the newspaper: "I am a smoker and a lot of my regulars are smokers so during normal hours we are forced to stand outside, but I am not going to send them out on cold dark nights for a fag."
"So just as we used to have lock-ins for a late drink, I am now doing them for a late smoke," he added.
A report in the Sunday Mirror earlier this year stated that pub takings had dropped by 40 per cent since the introduction of the smoking ban.
