A pub is closing down on Easter Monday due to falling trade following the ban on smoking.

Yates Wine Lodge, in Worthing, will shut after last orders at the end of the evening session.

The bar, in Chapel Road, is one of several Yates ear-marked for closure around the country.

The branches in Brighton and Hastings are expected to stay open for business.

Owners, the Laurel Pub Company, which owns more than 400 pubs and restaurants nationwide, said: "We are closing due to the affect of the smoking ban and difficult trading conditions."

The company says it will be helping the 12 staff to find new jobs. The spokesman said: "Where possible we try to re-locate our staff."

The firm, based in Bedfordshire, declined to give information about how many of its Yates bars are closing.

The Yates in Worthing, which opened in 1999, is one of many pubs and bars around the country which have become victims of a massive reduction in takings since the smoking ban was introduced in July last year.

The Argus has reported landlords reporting takings dropping by £1,000 a week in some pubs. Littlehampton appears to have been one of the worst hit areas with five pubs being forced to shut.

A survey by the Campaign for Real Ale revealed 56 pubs a month are closing across the country.