A ban on outdoor smoking would be hard to police and lead to civil liberty concerns

Proposed plans to ban outdoor smoking, including in beer gardens and outside stadiums, are already attracting criticism.

It has been suggested that the indoor smoking ban could be extended to cover other locations including small parks, outdoor restaurants and hospitals.

However, that could be hugely detrimental to some industries as well as the difficulties of policing such a ban.

Pubs are already struggling as it is. And while they have adapted following the indoor smoking ban, including measures such as offering outdoor smoking areas, this could end up further damaging trade.

In fact the wider hospitality industry has sounded the alarm over these proposals.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of industry organisation UKHospitality, said: “This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges.”

Occasionally non-smokers may have had to walk through groups of people smoking outside public venues but the reality is outdoor smokers are only harming themselves. Therefore it's harder to justify such a ban.

It would also leave the Government open to the accusation of implementing a nanny state.

The best path to ensuring a smoking free society in the future is to continue on the path that we have been on with better education.

Smoking has been culturally rejected. People are aware of its dangers and as such it is no longer as prevalent as it used to be.