Welcome to Smoke-on-Trent... the only British city where smokers can still light up thanks to a council blunder

 

Last updated at 11:06am on 11th July 2007 Comments (33)

Smokers can still light up in a city's pubs and clubs - because a bureaucratic blunder means officials are powerless to stop them.

 

Stoke-on-Trent has been renamed Smoke-on-Trent by publicans after council workers failed to get enforcement powers in time for the July 1 ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces.

 

Addicts are now flocking to the city's 400 pubs and bars, as well as lighting up in enclosed spaces such as bus shelters, without fear of a £50 on-the-spot fine.

 

The council, branded one of the worst in the country by the Audit Commission, will not be able to enforce the ban until councillors formally approve it at a meeting on August 2.

 

White Lion Pub in Stoke-on-Trent where regulars have been taking advantage of the unlicenced smoking ban

 

Landlords say they were fully prepared for the ban, which came into force in England and Wales at the start of the month.

But as soon as word got out about the council's bungle regulars picked up their ashtrays and dashed indoors.

Dax Robateau, owner of the Smithfield pub, told newspaper reporters he spent £21,000 building outside smoking shelters.

Now posters in his bar declare "Welcome to Smoke-on-Trent".

He said: "We were all ready for the ban on July 1. It seems the only people who weren't ready were the council.

"I'm going to allow customers to carry on smoking until August."

The blunder happened because council bosses believed the powers were delegated to a department head.

A council spokesman said: "We don't have enforcement powers because Stoke has both a mayor and a council manager.

"We thought enforcement powers were delegated to the director of community services - but they weren't.

"We'd no intention of prosecuting people in the early days. But where people deliberately flout the ban we can take action retrospectively."

Council fumes after smoke blunder

Smokers in a Hampshire town can continue lighting up for another week after a mistake by the council.

 

Fareham Borough Council did not realise it needed to approve the new laws at a full council meeting and so does not yet have the power to enforce the ban.

 

It means that fines cannot be issued to smokers flouting the ban, but landlords are entitled to stop people smoking.

 

A full council meeting will be held on 26 July, where the new smoking laws should finally be authorised.

 

A council spokeswoman said: "This delay is unfortunate but the council is still aiming to achieve raised awareness, education and advice in the short term and then where appropriate enforcement.

 

"We didn't publicise that people could smoke. We had no intention to hoodwink people, it was purely an administrative decision.

 

"What we are expecting and finding is that the ban is self-regulatory and people are responding very positively in most areas."

 

The new law, which came into force on 1 July, means that pubs, clubs and restaurants and all enclosed public places are now smoke-free zones.

 

Owners and managers of pubs and clubs which fail to comply with the can face fines of up to £2,500 and individual smokers can be fined £50.

 

The majority of pubs and clubs in Fareham are already following the new rules, despite the absence of council enforcement.

 

Grant Taylor, from the Crown Inn in West Street, said: "We have enforced the ban for three weeks now, even though it hasn't gone through here in Fareham.

 

"We started our ban on 18 June. We are doing much better business and the pub now smells cleaner and a lot better."

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/hampshire/6902373.stm