COUNCILS
EXTEND SMOKE BAN
Councils have decided to extend the indoor
smoking ban to playgrounds and parks. Some
colleges and hospitals are also stopping smokers
from lighting up outside.
Councils in Middlesbrough, Cleveland and
Derwentside, Co Durham, have taken the new
restrictions further by imposing smoking bans on
open-air spaces such as municipal playgrounds. It
is not legally enforceable. (Source: Times Online, Jul/07) |
SCARE THE BIRDS
Students and staff at a university have been
banned from smoking outside their building,
because it might scare the birds. Researchers in
the Stopford Building at Manchester University
decided to ban smoking in their quadrangle after
the birth of five Sparrowhawk chicks.
Francine Jury, of the Centre for Integrated
Genomic Medical Research (CIGMR), which is based
in the building, said no-one will smoke in the
courtyard until the birds have flown the nest,
for fear of disturbing the chicks. (Source: Daily Mail, Jul/07) |
PROTEST
Having installed himself in his local pub to
watch England play India, John Vaughan was
enraged when the channel was switched over to
football just as the cricket was reaching its
conclusion. So Mr Vaughan lit up a cigarette in
protest.
When he refused to extinguish it, staff pressed a
panic button behind the bar and a few minutes
later six riot police officers wearing protective
gear stormed the pub. No action was taken against
Mr Vaughan after he agreed to leave. (Source: Daily Mail, Oct/07) |
PIPE PROTEST
A vicar who lit his pipe in a Kent police station
as a protest against the smoking ban failed in
his attempt to get himself arrested.
He walked into the station in Tonbridge, asked to
report a crime and then started smoking. He said
he flouted the ban to protest against the erosion
of civil liberties.
Kent Police said they did not arrest the Holy
Trinity church vicar because it was an
environmental health issue. (Source: BBC News, Jul/07) |
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SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES BAN
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A man drinking in a bar was arrested after
refusing to stub out his cigarette. Officers were called
to Riskers bar in Scarborough after he refused to leave,
North Yorkshire Police said. He said he was protesting
against the smoking ban but police escorted him out,
arrested him and handed him an £80 fixed penalty fine
for being drunk and disorderly. Regulars at the bar
reportedly had a whip-round to contribute to the fine,
leaving donations in an ashtray. (Source: Daily Mail, Jul/07)
Every family in Britain will face an extra
£20 on its tax bill next year as a result of the smoking
ban. Treasury figures show ministers expect the ban on
smoking in public places to lead to a £500million fall
in tobacco duties next year as millions of smokers cut
down on their habit or kick it altogether. The predicted
black hole in the Governments finances is
equivalent to £20 for every household in the country.
Some experts believe the true cost to new Chancellor
Alistair Darling could be even higher if smokers stand by
their threats to desert their local pubs, but the
Treasury is predicting that alcohol tax revenues will
remain roughly the same. The scale of the predicted
losses underlines the value of tobacco taxes to the
Treasury, which raises £8billion a year from duty on
cigarettes, equivalent to more than 2p on income tax.
Anti-smoking campaigners claim the smoking ban will lead
to big savings for the National Health Service. But Simon
Clark, director of the pro-smoking group Forest, said the
Treasury forecasts highlighted the massive amount of tax
smokers paid. He said it would be impossible to claw back
the losses by raising tobacco duty further since this
would only encourage smuggling. Mr Clark said,
Maybe they feel they can handle losses of
£500million, but they will have to find the money
somewhere. It will be very interesting to see how they
play it if the losses get much higher, because the
uncomfortable fact is that smokers pay a lot of
tax. (Source: Sunday Express, Jul/07)
Thousands of council staff are being trained
to police the smoking ban in bars, restaurants and shops
in England. Ministers have given councils £29.5m to pay
for staff, who will be able to give on-the-spot £50
fines to individuals and take court action against
premises. They will have the power to enter premises
undercover, allowing them to sit among drinkers, and will
even be able to photograph and film people. Local
authorities have been given the power to enforce the ban
so it does not consume police time.
A government-funded course is expected to train 1,200
council officers in the next few months with more
expected to follow later. Councils will use these
fully-trained officers to brief other staff on how to
enforce the law as many towns and cities will have scores
of officers patrolling public places. The teams will be
made up of new staff and existing officers who will be
freed up to carry out inspections and offer advice.
(Source: BBC News, Feb/07)
Smoking M&S staff have been banned from
lighting up in public with their uniforms on show. Bosses
barred workers from smoking outside stores a week after
banning it inside company premises and vehicles. In a
further move, they have told those who go elsewhere for a
cigarette to cover their uniforms, so they cannot be
linked with the firm.
A company memo says: "When smoking outside, staff
must ensure no part of their uniform is visible to link
them to M&S, i.e. 'logos' or company name."
Another memo, from human resources director Heath
Cameron, says: "To protect the image of the company,
smoking will not be allowed in areas visible to
customers/visitors entering or leaving an M&S
building." (Source: Daily Mirror, Apr/06)
Landlady Kerry Fenton is using a legal
loophole so regulars can smoke inside her pub.
Kerrys tap room has been turned into a
Smoking Research Centre after friend James
Martin studied the law and discovered a get-out clause.
It means the nationwide smoking ban could be reduced to
ashes if other pubs and clubs cash in on the idea. James,
a printer, found under Section 9 of The 2007 Smoking Act
(Exemptions) that smoking research can be
carried out in a separate room as long as there is no
through bar.
The vault at Kerrys pub, The Cutting Edge, is
separate from the main pub, has its own bar, and now
sports signs on the doors boasting Designated
Smoking Room. All Kerrys customers have to do
is fill in a questionnaire asking how many cigarettes
they smoke and if they like a smoky atmosphere. Then they
can sit back and enjoy a fag with their pint. Since the
change Kerry has seen trade double.
She said, We were struggling to survive. Its
certainly given business a shot in the arm and its
in the name of research, legal and above board.
James added, Ive had inquiries. Im
expecting more pubs to join in. His ploy seems to
have confused Whitehall. The Home Office said,
Its the Department of Healths
responsibility. But the Department of Health
claimed, Its up to the Home Office to enforce
the law.
Barnsley Council says it plans to enforce the ban.
Regulations chief Simon Frow insisted, "The Cutting
Edge is clearly not a research or test facility and is
not exempt under the legislation." Barnsley Council
said it was due to visit the Cutting Edge to inform Ms
Fenton she had "misunderstood the relevant
legislation".
A spokeswoman said, "An officer from Barnsley
Council's Regulatory Services department will visit the
pub to advise the pub management that they have
misunderstood the relevant legislation and that clearly
the smoking research room is in breach of non-smoking
legislation. The council will then monitor the situation
before taking any further action that may be
necessary."
The pub's owner, Punch Taverns, which has put the
building on the market, said, "Punch has condemned
the decision of our licensee to undertake this. We
strongly advise them to cease this activity
immediately." The Department of Health said,
This is clearly illegal. You cannot just set up a
research centre like that. Anyone wanting to set up a
smoking research centre has to first apply to the
Department of Health for approval. (Source: Daily Star, May/09)
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