FROM 6am this Sunday, England will follow the lead of the rest of the UK and Ireland and ban smoking in public places.

But how will the ban will hit the pub and club trade and how are businesses gearing up for the shift to healthier living? Ben Briggs and Andrew Hewitt report.

THE pub trade are looking at Sunday with a mixture on intrepidation, curiosity and even fear.

The word coming out from behind some bars is that trade will suffer, with some pubs likely to be hit so hard they will never recover.

But others believe that trade will shift and a new clientele will be seen in pubs that previously stayed away from.

Geoff Sutcliffe, treasurer of the Blackburn branch of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations and landlord of the Rising Sun, Whalley New Road, Wilpshire, believes that traditional drinkers pubs will bear the brunt of the new legislation.

And he even thinks that gum boards - like those seen in town centres to collect chewing gum - may be seen in some bars as people try whatever they can to beat the urge to smoke.

He said: "There will be closures, definitely.

"In a way I'm worried about this place because of the clientele we have.

"For customers at the moment it's all a big joke but when it comes that they have to go outside to smoke will they do it? We just don't know at this stage.

"It's the drinking culture that it's going to spoil.

"For the older end and the shift worker who enjoys an afternoon drink and a smoke its going to affect them.

"Trade will suffer and the Government could have handled it much better.

"Maybe they could have made it that if you had a properly ventilated area around the bar and ban smoking in that area that could have alright."

Mr Sutcliffe said he had spoken with organisations in places already under the ban and claims that many pubs in southern Ireland had closed as a result.

Fears of an immediate downturn were also echoed by Thwaites brewing chiefs who see adaptability as the key to survival.

It has spent more than £3million preparing its estate of 400 plus pubs, building things such as smokign shelters, after company representatives travelled to several countries looking at examples.

Brian Hickman, managing director of the Blackburn-based brewery, said: "I think there is going to be a short term impact because that's what was seen in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

"We think it's only going to be short term because we think there will be a recovery, the problem is we don't know when that recovery will be.

"There are going to be those outlets that are adversely affected because there are pubs and clubs that don't have outside space.

"In some pubs you might even see growth because they attract people previously put off by smoking.

"It's about improving other things and upping the overall quality in terms of standards of service, food, accommodation or whatever they offer."

He added that there were no plans to remove cigarette machines in Thwaites pubs, the usage of which has been in heavy decline in recent years.

There is a similar situation with ash trays that will be redundant after the ban but Thwaites has no plans at the moment for what they will do with them.

Mr Hickman said there was a thriving market in Thwaites memorabilia on eBay at the moment and joked that this could see a surge of ash trays after Sunday.

Meanwhile the Fox and Grapes in Preston New Road, Blackburn, will be hosting an "ashtray auction" where punters will be able to bid for the smoking bins and smash them outside at midnight.

Carl Duckworth, landlord, said: "It will be a way for customers, a lot of them who aren't happy about the ban, to relieve their frustrations.

"I was a smoker myself and gave up six weeks ago ahead of the ban.

"In a lot of ways I think it will be a good thing as we serve food and will be able to attract the families who in the past have stayed away because they have been put off by the smoke."

Bosses at the North West's first Shisha cafe bar in Blackburn said they have sent a 3,000 signature petition to Blackburn with Darwen Council in protest about the new legislation.

Mohammed Jaber, owner of the Sahara Cafe in Darwen Street, said they source the flavoured tobacco smoked in the cafe from Egypt which provides the people of Blackburn with experience of the Middle-East.

He said: "I have been to see Jack Straw who says there is nothing we can do.

"It's such a shame but we are going to have to diversify if we want to stay in business.

"We are buying eight PlayStations and going to have broadband internet in the hope that it will help us stay open."

Elsewhere, FJ Nichols in Northgate, Blackburn - is among those taking steps to halt the decline.

With a £20,000 refurbishment planned by owners TCG, the hope is that a redirection to food trade can stem any losses from traditional drinkers.

Landlord Chris Wooddissee said that the smoking ban will have an affect on business and that they key was going to be how it was handled.