The smoking ban and wet summer have taken their toll on Kent’s leading brewery.

Interim financial results for Shepherd Neame, announced on Wednesday, showed profits were down 2.3 per cent, before tax, to £4.7 million for the last six months of 2007,

The Faversham-based company described the period as “extremely challenging”, and held no hopes of the situation getting any easier in the coming months.

Chief executive Jonathan Neame said: “Shepherd Neame has delivered a solid and resilient performance over the past six months against a challenging background of subdued consumer spending, significant pressure on input costs, impact from the smoking ban and a wet summer during 2007.

“We believe the current difficult trading conditions will persist throughout 2008 but we are investing in the business for the long term and are confident that the quality and profile of our pubs and brands will enable the company to continue to outperform the market.”

There was some good news for the firm, however, with turnover up 3.7 per cent to £52.4 million, and operating profit rose 0.7 per cent to £5.7 million. Food sales were also up by 7.3 per cent and total accommodation sales improved by 11.2 per cent.