Manchester City Council is one of five local authorities in England to ban smoking in pavement pubs, cafes and restaurants.
Just days after it was revealed that Oxfordshire would be the first county in the UK to prohibit smoking at outdoor hospitality as part of a major strategy to make the county smoke-free by 2025, Manchester is joined by four other fellow Northern councils – North Tyneside, Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland – in including the rules in their licensing agreements for establishments applying to place table and chairs outdoors.
A sixth local authority is also highly expected to follow in due course, according to reports emerging across a number of media outlets this morning.
Smoking at many outdoor seating areas has already been prohibited in the last year due to ongoing COVID-19 regulations – but these new bans by the five local authorities would mean it’s here to stay.
It comes as part of the government’s ambitious ‘smoke-free’ plans within this decade.
ADVERTISEMENT
Smoking at many outdoor seating areas has already been prohibited due to COVID-19 regulations / Credit: Geograph (David Dixon)
Last year, a cross-party bid to ban smoking on pavements outside pubs failed in the House of Lords – but instead, the government brought forward a compromise to require pubs, cafes and restaurants in England wanting to provide outdoor seating to offer separate non-smoking areas.
Deborah Arnott – Chief Executive of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) – said the pavement smoking bans were popular with most customers, adding: “Our surveys show that two-thirds of the public want areas outside pubs and cafes to be smoke-free.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It is not like this is not on anyone’s radar – people complain a lot that if they go outside, they have to sit among smokers.”
Pro-smoking campaigners have said those who object should sit indoors.
Manchester City Council is one of five local authorities in England to enforce a ban / Credit: Flickr
In 2019, the government announced a new ambition to make England ‘smoke-free’ by 2030.
ADVERTISEMENT
Smoke-free status is officially recognised by the government when 5% or less of an area’s population are smokers.
The interest in smoke-free pavements comes before the publication of the latest tobacco control plan by the government on 9 June, which will be debated in parliament on the following day, with campaigners hoping for tough new measures to control smoking and help people quit.
Featured Image – Flickr
UK News
Wigan Warriors make history with first-ever Women’s Challenge Cup win
Danny Jones
Wigan Warriors have done it: they’ve officially lifted the 2025 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup for the first time in their history following an emphatic victory over serial champions, St Helens.
The Greater Manchester club managed not only to finally win the tournament but also to put a stop to St Helens’ hugely successful streak and what would have been five consecutive wins.
Spurred on by some smart tactics from club legend and boss, Dennis Betts – who won the competition seven times with Wigan as a player himself – the Warriors put in an imperious performance, leading by 18 at half time. Now that’s how you start a match.
Here’s the moment they finally got their hands on it:
Not only was the first-ever Challenge Cup win for Wigan Warriors Women, but it also ended a fairly significant silverware drought that has felt even longer for the supporters.
The last time a female Wigan Warriors squad won a major trophy was in the Super League back in 2018, when they also managed to win a maiden Grand Final against Leeds Rhinos by just 18-16.
Cut to this weekend, and the team fielded was much more impressive, not just when it comes to taking an early lead but by stretching and consolidating it to continue controlling the game.
In fact, Wigan were up by 24 before the opposition coaching duo Derek Hardman and Craig Richards’ side even got points on the board.
Full-back Grace Banks pipped her teammates to the Player of the Match award, but there were star showings all over the pitch, including a prolific Isabel Rowe and a wonderful run from Eva Hunter.
— Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) June 7, 2025
Truth be told, it was a bit of a thrashing and one of their best scorelines of the season – kind of them to save it for an epic conclusion at Wembley Stadium.
As for Salford-born Betts, who was once a prospect at Manchester United, playing with the B team alongside the likes of Mark Robins and Clayton Blackmore, this was his first trophy in charge of the women’s team in what has already been a remarkable career.
What a success story his sporting switch turned out to be
Congratulations to a local club with a very bright future ahead.
Featured Images — BBC Sport/Wigan Warriors (screenshots via X/IG)
UK News
Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants
Daisy Jackson
Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.
In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.
The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.
Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”
The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”
After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.
The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.
He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.
Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.
“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.
“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.
“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”
The Manc -
3rd June 2021 
