A LANDLADY has spoken out against the smoking ban, which she says is stubbing out her trade.

Sandra Brown, 53, who manages The Plough, in High Street, Long Wittenham, said the future looked bleak for the village's only pub since the July 1 ban on smoking in public places came into force.

She fears for the future of traditional English pubs which she said were not being supported by villagers.

We recently reported how Sylvia Hesford, manager of The Sprat, was concerned that her trade had dropped off by a third since the ban.

Mrs Brown, who has run the pub with her husband, Melvyn, 60, for 15 years, said: "I want to support the landlady of The Sprat, in Didcot, who has been affected by the ban.

"I was hoping people would not notice the ban, but it has been horrendous.

"Our trade is down ten per cent since July.

"What frightens me is that in ten or 15 years' time, traditional pubs will not exist because they are not getting support from the villages.

"Pubs are going to close in this country if people do not use them. It is only our stead-fast regulars who are keeping us going.

"I'm just hoping to have a good summer this year, otherwise the future is very bleak for us. Last summer the bottom of the garden with the awnings for the smokers was flooded with all the rain."

She added: "Why we were not given a choice by the Government to have a smoking room, I do not know.

"Even 99 per cent of my non-smoking customers all agree it would be a better idea to have a sealed-off smoking room."

Mrs Brown said she was concerned for her pub because the punters were failing to turn up even though she serves food.

She said: "I am still waiting for all these non-smokers to flock into the pub, and now we are the only pub in the village. We even do food and I am still waiting.

"The ban has affected some of my regulars too, because they don't want to come down the pub and stand out in the cold to have a cigarette.

"One 81-year-old chap has been smoking since he was 12 and used to come down about three or four times a week, but now we're lucky if we see him once a week."