when did the smoking ban come in

The indoor public smoking ban in the UK came in during the mid‑2000s, but the exact date depends on which part of the UK is meant.

Key dates (UK smoking ban)

• Scotland: 26 March 2006 – smoking banned in enclosed public places such as bars, restaurants and most workplaces.

• Wales: 2 April 2007 – similar indoor public and workplace smoking ban introduced.

• Northern Ireland: 30 April 2007 – smoking prohibited in enclosed public spaces and workplaces.

• England: 1 July 2007 – nationwide ban on smoking in virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces, including pubs, clubs and restaurants, came into force under the Health Act 2006.

Quick Scoop

• If people in the UK casually say “when the smoking ban came in”, they usually mean 1 July 2007, when pubs, clubs and most indoor workplaces in England went smoke‑free.

• The laws were phased: Scotland first in 2006, then the rest of the UK in 2007, so memories differ a bit depending on where someone lived.

A bit of context

• The main goal was to protect non‑smokers from second‑hand smoke in enclosed public places like offices, buses, trains, pubs and restaurants.

• Over time, further measures followed, such as bans on smoking in cars with children and proposals to create a “smoke‑free generation” by phasing out cigarette sales to younger cohorts.

So, in forum and pub chats, “when the smoking ban came in” usually points to summer 2007 – that moment when going home from a night out and not stinking of smoke became the new normal in England.

TL;DR: The indoor smoking ban reached Scotland in March 2006, Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007, and England on 1 July 2007, which is the date most people in England are referring to.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.