On July 1, 2007, smokers in England were pushed out of their cosy smoking areas and forced to stand outside in the cold. No longer would they be able to enjoy a leisurely cigarette at their table after a meal; a relaxing cigarette with a glass of wine after a long day in the office. For those who chose to cling on to their habit, life would now revolve around dingy cigarette shelters, hurried fags on the way to and from meetings, and standing around in pens with fellow addicts.

Some chose to quit, with research showing that the number of smokers is down 2.4 per cent this year already – the average annual decrease is normally 0.4 per cent. Support for the ban has also gone up 5 per cent since May last year. But not all smokers have been happy to stub out their indoor fags. The authorities have had to hand out 908 written warnings to individuals smoking in prohibited areas, and 477 fixed penalty notices. Eight have led to court hearings.

Most smokers, though, are made of stern stuff. You may force them outside, but you can’t force them to quit. There are of course people who are in denial: the ones who say they have definitely quit, despite the cigarette in their hand; others whose families believe they have quit, while they hide in bushes around the corner; and fair-weather smokers who “borrow” cigarettes. But the hardcore smokers have learnt not only to adapt to the new regulations, but to thrive under them.

You now have to queue to get out of clubs and into the pens to enjoy a fag. Offices have regulations restricting the number of people who can congregate to smoke, how often and at what time. Yet, as the people interviewed on these pages tell us, a bond has united those cast outside, smirting (smoking and flirting) has evolved, and unlikely career networking taken off. The experience has evolved to appear exclusive, as opposed to enforced. Above all else, non-smokers are not allowed.

Click left to view a gallery of smokers and hear how the ban has changed their habits.

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