SMOKERS across Worcester have been defying expectations by turning out to support their local pubs on the first day of the smoking ban.

Many pubs feared a drop in custom but hostelries across the city reported a steady flow of customers through their doors today as England joined the rest of the UK in going smoke-free.

At the Crown and Anchor in Hylton Road, St John's, manager Martin Gallagher said he was surprised that customers were still willing to turn out, knowing they would be unable to light up inside.

"Everyone that normally comes in on a Sunday has been in," he said. "So it's been OK so far. But I am still very sceptical about how it will affect business in the long run."

At The Grosvenor Arms in Henwick Road, St John's, Dennis Moughan had feared he could lose up to 75 per cent of customers because of the ban. But he said he too was pleased to report that it had not deterred people from enjoying a drink at the pub yesterday.

"I have been surprised by the amount of people that still came to the pub," he said. "It is much better than I thought it was going to be. However, it is still only early days and I'm not sure how we will do when the winter kicks in."

The Grosvenor Arms and The Goodrest in Barker Street, off Rainbow Hill, have both built special smoking shelters in an attempt to accommodate smokers. Yesterday a number of smokers were making full use of the facilities. "It seems to have been somewhat of a novelty," said Mr Moughan. "Everyone has been quite jovial about it."

David Pickford, landlord at The Goodrest added: "I think people are definitely pleased that we have this smoking room so they do have somewhere to go, should it rain. We have had lots of very positive comments about it. We want people to be comfortable and I think that is working so far."

Mr Pickford said he too had not seen a drop in the number of customers yesterday.