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Home / World

England follows the rest of UK in stubbing out

By Martin Hickman
2 Jul, 2007 05:00 PM2 mins to read

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Only prisons, hospices and submarines are exempt from the smoking ban. Photo / Reuters

Only prisons, hospices and submarines are exempt from the smoking ban. Photo / Reuters

KEY POINTS:

A historic right to smoke in public places in England was extinguished in an instant, with only a handful of rebels puffing away in defiance of the authorities.

Lighting a cigarette or cigar became illegal in confined spaces.

The Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, hailed the introduction of the
ban - the biggest smoking ban in the world - as an important step towards a healthier population.

Almost all enclosed public places are now smoke-free, including offices, warehouses, factories, pubs, cafes, railway stations, working vehicles and leisure centres. Only prisons, submarines and hospices are exempt.

Johnson said: "Labour has taken action to protect people from smoke in their workplace, pub or cafe. A smoke-free country will improve the health of thousands of people ... I am thrilled that my first major announcement as Health Secretary enacts the single most important public health legislation."

England was the last part of the UK to ban smoking, following a ban in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Irish Republic has also banned smoking in public.

Anyone lighting up in a public place faces a £50 ($130) fine - reduced to £30 if paid within 15 days. Owners of pubs, clubs and cafes face much stiffer punishment - fines of £2500 for every cigarette smoked on their premises.

At first local councils are expected to adopt a softly-softly approach to enforcement, with verbal warnings rather than court action.

A determined band of smokers nonetheless defied the ban in protest at what they said was an unreasonable curtailment of their liberty.

Hundreds of smokers sparked up cigarettes and cigars during a "mass light-up" at The Swan, in Churchgate, Bolton. By midday, the pub was already packed out with more than 100 smokers.

Landlord Nick Hogan, who invited local publicans to the event, said: "I'm not pro-smoking, but I am pro-choice. We are not sticking two fingers up at the Government, we are making a peaceful protest at a piece of legislation that is discriminatory. All we are asking for is a compromise."

The pro-smoking campaign, Freedom2Choose, estimates that up to 3000 of its members - including owners of social clubs - may refuse to implement the ban.

- INDEPENDENT

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