By Liz HearnshawIT has long been a burning issue, but the subject of smoking in pubs looks to be getting hotter.Scores of pubs up and down the country have already banned smoking from their premises without asking the opinions of their customers.

By Liz Hearnshaw

IT has long been a burning issue, but the subject of smoking in pubs looks to be getting hotter.

Scores of pubs up and down the country have already banned smoking from their premises without asking the opinions of their customers.

But bosses at the Anchor in Nayland have decided to run a poll, which ends at noon tomorrow, asking their customers if the inn should become entirely non-smoking.

Every household in the village has received a letter asking for their opinions and the response so far has been good.

Stephen Bunting, a partner of family business Bunting and Sons, which owns the pub, said: “We are going to great lengths to have something for everyone and the only way we can find out what people want is to ask. We have had big response so far on something which is a very topical subject.

“We have actually asked the village and written to each household several times about different things in the past as we feel we want to have something which can be enjoyed by everyone.

“To try to get things right, you need feedback and if you do not ask, you cannot improve.”

The Anchor already boasts large non-smoking areas, with cigarettes banned at all but the tables in the bar area.

Now Mr Bunting is keen to gain as many opinions as possible before a decision is taken regarding the entire premises.

“This is a thorny issue and there are very strong views on either side. Ultimately, it will be inevitable that all pubs and inns which do anything other than serving drinks will be compelled by law to be entirely non-smoking,” he said.

“This poll will help us decide if we do it sooner rather than later. It is a question of whether we go the whole hog or not and we are going to think quite hard about it following the vote.”

liz.hearnshaw@eadt.co.uk