Cigarette sales have fallen by almost 7% in the UK since the smoking ban came into force, new figures show.
There were 3 billion cigarettes smoked in the UK last month - 6.9% down on July last year, according to consumer research group AC Nielsen.
Sales were down 1.2% in June, ahead of the ban.
The decline is in line with similar falls that followed the introduction of smoking bans in Ireland in 2004 and Scotland last year. In Ireland, cigarette sales fell by 16% in six months.
The total value of cigarettes sales in the UK last year was £ 11.5 billion.
