Mr Worrall Thompson is one of 19 signatories to a letter in today's Daily Telegraph calling for the ban to be relaxed
Jump to full article: Electronic Telegraph (uk), 2009-06-30
Author: Heidi Blake
Intro: Antony Worrall Thompson, the celebrity chef, is spearheading a campaign to overturn the ban on smoking in British pubs.
The Ready-Steady-Cook star and restaurateur is leading the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign calling for changes to the blanket ban which came into force in 2007.
Campaigners say the ban is "ripping the heart out" of British pubs, which are now closing at a rate of 40 a month, and want publicans to be allowed to tempt customers back by permitting smoking in some areas.
He said: "The smoking ban has had an extraordinarily detrimental effect on pubs and clubs and you can understand why. They used to be bastions of adult entertainment where young and old could meet and chat over a pint without the health police looking over their shoulders... The legislation as it stands is excessive and I would like to see it amended."
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