ALMOST a decade ago public buildings, pubs, clubs, work places and indoor venues around England moved their smokers outside.

On Saturday it will be 10 years to the day that the smoking ban in enclosed public places came into force.

It followed bans in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, making July 1, 2007 the first time all UK public venues were smoke-free.

The recommendations by the Health Act 2006 were put in place to ensure people could work or go out for a drink and food without passive inhalation.

Ten years on and the ruling has been declared one of the most important reforms in public health.

It has not just changed smoking habits, but Britain's pub culture has never looked the same since, while our workplaces and buses are consistently smoke-free.

At the time of the ban, 29.6 per cent of people smoked. However, by last year that had fallen to 17.9 per cent.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "We will continue to work with colleagues in the NHS and hope to see this figure reduce further in the future.

"The first of July, 2017 is the tenth anniversary of the most important public health reform in generations – the ending of smoking in enclosed public places in England.

"Decades of evidence have established beyond doubt that breathing in other people’s cigarette smoke is bad for health and significantly increases the risks of a range of diseases, including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

The Health Act 2006 made it illegal to smoke in places of work and places that the public access to obtain goods and services – including private clubs.

Any landlord who defied the ban faced being fined and, if the fines went unpaid, eventually jail.

Legislation has also continued to tighten, with plain cigarette packaging, a ban on smaller packets and bags of rolling tobacco on May 21.

Menthol cigarettes are also being phased out along with fruit, candy, spice, herb, alcohol and vanilla flavoured tobacco – but they will not be banned until May, 2020.

There have also been calls to ban smoking on all hospital grounds.

n How has the smoking ban affected you? Get in touch with your comments and stories at rosalind.saul@nqnw.co.uk.