The first town in Britain looks set to ban smoking outside pubs and cafes but furious landlords have vowed to fight the extreme council plans.

Bar and cafe owners have said they are prepared to go to court if the local authority's decision to ban smoking on pavements outside their businesses goes ahead.

By April, smokers in Barnsley, South Yorkshire may find there are few places where they can light up.

Under the new regulations smoking will only be allowed outside in private beer gardens.

The move has caused uproar among the town's licensees who have seen trade dwindle since the indoor smoking ban came into force.

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Publican Paul McNicholas, chairman of the town centre Pubwatch scheme said: "I feel so strongly about this I would be prepared to go to court.

"There is no other place in the country even contemplating it. It would be difficult to enforce."

Mr McNicholas has spent £9,000 on awnings, tables and heaters so customers can sit outside his Irish pub and enjoy a pint and a cigarette.

He said: "Having the outside area has compensated me and evened things out since the smoking ban.

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