The owner of a small restaurant bar in Germany has come up with an innovative idea to get around the recent smoking ban.

Larger bars and restaurants do not face losing business as they tend to have separate smoking rooms which are still within the law.

The problem lies with owners of smaller pubs who cannot offer such a privilege for their regulars.

Bernd Frenzel, owner of Zum Eisenwerk in Lahntal, north of Frankfurt, has bypassed the law using a lorry trailer, which patrons are legally allowed to smoke in.

Mr Frenzel said: "Business was going down bad due to the non-smoking law.

"We have 90 per cent less coffee sales and 50 per cent less beer sales, the bar is empty I wanted to keep sales up, wanted to keep the bar alive so I started using the trailer."

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