Smokers in France can no longer puff on a cigarette over coffee as cafes, restaurants and nightclubs have joined a nationwide ban on smoking as of January 1 according to a report by Agence France Presse .

Eleven months after smoking was outlawed in workplaces, schools, hospitals and shops, the ban was extended to bars and bistrots, with some owners predicting the demise of France's lively cafe culture.

The ban will be gradually enforced which should be a welcome move for France's 13.5 million smokers.

Supporters of the anti-tobacco drive point to France's smooth transition to smoke-free workplaces in February as a sign that the country has become more health-conscious.

But some business groups representing cafe and restaurant owners are up in arms, demanding that restrictions be eased, especially in the countryside where banning smoking at the local "bar-tabac" is tantamount to an attack on the French lifestyle.

"It's going to be a real mess," said Rene Le Pape, a cafe owner in Brittany who is also president of the Confederation of Tobacconists, which represents about 30,000 members.

France's latest smoking ban comes six months after Britain decided to make its pubs smoke-free and nearly four years after Ireland became the first European country to take a tough stance on outlawing smoking in public places.

Under the French ban, smokers who light up in a public place can be fined up to 450 euros (645 dollars) while business owners may face penalties of up to 750 euros.

Tobacco is the leading cause of avoidable death in France, with more than 5,000 deaths per year from second-hand smoke and an additional 66,000 from smoking directly, according to the health ministry.

In Paris's chic Latin Quarter, Christian Azzopardi declared his Coupe Chou restaurant smoke-free last year and said the move caused very few ripples among his clientele.

"It really turned out to be nothing extraordinary," said Azzopardi. "Some people sulked for a bit, but they got used to it."

Report by Chitra Mogul