Greene King moves to ban smoking

Greene King, the 550-strong pub group, has kicked off a move towards making all its outlets smoke-free, claiming a government ban is "almost inevitable".

It has opened four entirely smokeless pubs, including the Rushbrooke Arms at the company's head office in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The other Greene King pubs to ban smoking are the Acorn in Bicester, the Nags Head in Windsor and the Cromwell Lodge Hotel in Banbury

The Rising Sun Hotel in Cheltenham will convert next month.

Adam Collett, marketing director for Greene King Pub Company, said: "With a smoking ban being almost inevitable, our policy is to increase the space devoted to non-smoking throughout our estate; to ensure all food order points are non-smoking; move to completely smoke free environments in family pubs; encourage growth of 100% smoke-free businesses; and to provide active support for licensees who want to give up smoking"

He added: "We believe in the rights of our customers to choose their own lifestyles. Equally, we respect the right of customers who prefer to enjoy our hospitality in a smoke-free environment.

"The opening of the Rushbrooke Arms as a smoke free pub is the first in a programme of conversions across the estate."

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