The UK government has dropped a planned review of England’s smoking legislation that might have extended the ban on smoking in public places.

The Department of Health made it clear this week that a scheduled three year review of England’s law, introduced in July 2007 to make virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England smoke free, has been shelved.

Specialists in the field have expressed their disappointment at the decision, saying they had hoped that the government would go further and extend smoke-free legislation to include public places frequented by children and to prohibit all smoking in cars and other vehicles.

The public health minister, …