From ashtrays full of cigarette butts to smoke-free environments

This week, it will be ten years since the smoking ban for enclosed workplaces in the UK came into force. Dr Andrew Russell from the Life of Breath research project takes a look at how things have changed. Do you remember what it was like pre-2007? It is hard to think back now to what English pubs and clubs were like before the law about smoke-free public places came into force. I remember the dense fog, the smell of tobacco smoke on your clothes after a night out, the ashtrays loaded with cigarette butts. Those lucky enough to be much younger than me probably won't remember as it's ten years ago when the law began. But it has been described as 'the most important piece of public health legislation for a generation'. What were the challenges in getting to that point? Various options were proposed, including a plan to exempt private clubs and pubs that didn't serve food (the so-called 'wet pubs').