What Britain looked like just before 2007 smoking ban that stubbed out indoor cigs
In 2007 a total ban on smoking in all enclosed workspaces came into force following a similar moves in the rest of the UK, with Scotland outlawing it in 2006.
Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the Government is exploring plans to bar Brits from smoking in pub and restaurant gardens and various other settings in a major new clampdown on the deadly habit.
The Prime Minister has argued that the controversial move will ease the burden on the NHS, though some including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have criticised the potential change as more evidence of the "nanny state" trying to meddle in our lives.
Many remember a time when pubs were filled with smoke, with people allowed to light up almost anywhere, from bingo halls, to clubs and restaurants.
In 2007 a total ban on smoking in all enclosed workspaces came into force following similar moves in the rest of the UK, with Scotland outlawing it in 2006.
The legislation also provoked shock among long-time smokers at the time, but the health benefits were immediate and startling. These included 1,200 fewer emergency admissions to hospital for heart attacks being recorded in the following year, as well as a 12.3 percent reduction in admissions for childhood asthma.
So as Britain stands on the precipice of another major shift in pub culture, we look back on how different boozers looked in 2007 as the era-ending law change loomed.
Prior to the ban, which came into effect on July 1st 2007, passengers could have a gasper as they waited in the train station, without any fear of being told off by staff.
This picture, taken on 25 June 2007, just days before the legislation turned all enclosed spaces, including train stations and airports into smoke-free zones.
(Image: Getty)
Smokers enjoying the last few minutes of legally smoking Bristol's The Woods Bar, on the day the ban came in.
Smoking was illegal in pubs from 6am that day, with nicotine addicts rushing to get a few puffs in the comfort of their local for the last time.
(Image: Getty)
The time of smoke-filled pubs now feels like a bygone era, with the British public now far less likely to smoke.
The reduced strain on the health service also saved the taxpayer huge sums.
For example, the 12,000 fewer admissions to hospitals is thought to have saved the NHS £8.4 million in the first year alone, according to Smoke Free Action.
(Image: Getty)
Though some smokers may look back longingly at life before the ban, smoke-free laws have grown popular with the British public in the years that followed.
A YouGov survey commissioned by ASH in 2014, found that 82 percent of adults in Great Britain were supportive of smoke free laws.
That figure included 54 percent of smokers, with just 8 percents of adults opposed to them at the time.
(Image: Getty)