‘In about five or 10 years from now, people will be amazed that we ever allowed smoking in public places, because we've got a smoke-free generation growing up, “ says Pat Karney, the NHS Director of Smoke Free Greater Manchester.

For those of who grew up in the “golden age” of the British pub – before the smoking ban of 2007 removed the fug and replaced it with fresh air – that's a statement which even now seems a little far-fetched.

But our attitude towards smoking has changed beyond recognition since legislation designed to safeguard workers in public places came into force. Who now truly misses the idea of arriving home from the local wearing clothes polluted with the stench of somebody else's fag smoke? How many bar workers would exchange the clean atmosphere of today for those purple clouds of ever-present smoke?

Even the gaggle of smokers congregating outside the front door no longer induce the kind of second glance which would once have been the natural response to any kind of crowd.

For Coun Karney – whose role as a Manchester councillor also gives him responsibility for safeguarding the vibrancy of the city centre – there must have been a risk of interests in conflict.

But he insists both roles have been similarly successful and that even the most ardent fans of tobacco are now coming round to his way of thinking.

“Seventy nine per cent of smokers support smoke free legislation in Greater Manchester, “ Coun Karney says, citing the results of a survey commissioned by the NHS and carried out by the SMSR survey company.

“The national figure is about 55 per cent. It's probably one of the highest rates of support in the country.”

The debate which preceded the introduction of the 'smoking ban' in England on July 1, 2007 split people roughly into three camps: those that supported it, those who felt that the status quo should remain intact and those who favoured a partial ban, with sealed-off smoking rooms available in pubs that wanted them.

While the legislation impacted most heavily on public houses, it covers all public places. Bingo halls have witnessed a similar revolution.

Architecturally speaking, the licensing landscape has changed too. Those pubs which have survived are now likely to have a smoking shelter, some of them grandiose affairs which have taken the concept of allowing the outside to be inside about as far as it's possible to go.

Inevitably, many pubs haven't survived – their fates largely sealed by the combined impact of the smoking ban and cheap supermarket beer offers encouraging drinkers to stay at home. According to the British Beer & Pub Association, there are now 52,400 pubs in Britain, a drop of some 6,100 hostelries since 2005.

In the second half of 2009, the BBPA reported that closures were running at 39 a week, which has slowed down from a rate of 52 pubs a week in the first half of 2009. Mark Hastings, director of communications for the BBPA, says the fragile state of the economy has also played a part in pub closures, which have now slowed to a rate of around 30 per week.

“The economy is beginning to improve,” he explains. “And that has been the principle driver for pub closures as well: the downturn in the economy. It's difficult to say which closures were a direct result of the 2007 ban. The introduction of the smoking ban coincided almost completely with the start of the downturn in the economy.”

Dave Perkin, who owns 10 venues across the north west, including Manchester’s Frog and Bucket comedy venue and a number of community pubs, says the impact has largely depended on location.

“It has affected the community pubs, the traditional local, where a chap finishes work, has a pie and a pint and a cigarette before he goes home.

“But some premises have improved. There's been an increase in food, as well as a pleasant environment for staff and customers.”

Perhaps of most importance, however, is the potential for major improvements in public health. A recent study carried out by researchers at the University of Bath found a 2.4 per cent reduction in the number of emergency admissions for heart attacks 15 months after the smoke-free legislation. Whether it's a direct result of the ban or not, there are statistics to suggest that lives are being saved.

“Five years ago, one in four people in Greater Manchester smoked,” Coun Karney adds. “We’re expecting figures to come in under 20 per cent in about a month's time. Our mission is to bring it down to one in 10 people smoking.”

There's little doubt that life in Greater Manchester's changed forever with the beginning of the smoking ban. But three years on, who wouldn't raise a glass to a law which made pubs more palatable to thousands of people, and brought untold health benefits all at the same time.

» What do you think? Are pubs better or worse placed to be as a result of the smoking ban? Send your comments to postbag@men-news.co.uk or Postbag, M.E.N., 1 Scott Place, Manchester, M3 3RN.