SMOKERS standing outside some pubs having a cigarette in the rain after the indoor smoking ban is introduced on Tuesday need not get soggy as they are being issued with ponchos to keep them dry.

Landlords, managers, and bar staff at CI Hospitality venues are handing out free rain-proof ponchos and protective drinks tags when patrons want to smoke outside despite the rain.

CI Hospitality’s operations director, Kenrick Brooks, said that the company was putting into practice the experience they gained when a smoking ban was introduced earlier this year in Guernsey.

‘We are trying to be as inventive as possible while we wait for planning applications for awnings and umbrellas to be processed,’ he said.

Among moves under way to cater for their patrons who are smokers, some of the company’s pubs are applying for umbrellas with outdoor heating and lighting, while other venues already have al-fresco facilities in place.