Shaping up for a smoke-free Wirral (From Wirral Globe)

Shaping up for a smoke-free Wirral

11:11am Sunday 3rd June 2007 in News By Catherine Lawler

PUBS are not health clubs, declared artist David Hockney recently.

Yet despite this, at 6am on Sunday July 1, England will be the final area of the UK to go smokefree.

After that time, smoking in virtually all enclosed public places in the country will be against the law.

Staff from Wirral council will be visiting hundreds of local pubs, restaurants, shops and other businesses over the next few weeks to give advice about the smokefree legislation.

Many places have already gone smokefree, but may not be aware of the new legal requirements to signs and smoking shelters.

The new signs will form part of the pack that council officials are taking around to premises to help prepare them for July 1.

“Why should the anti-smoking lobby dictate our lifestyle at the expense of our well-known culture of tolerance?”

Antony Worrall Thompson

Phil Dickson, Principal Officer for Wirral's Environmental Health division, said: "After July 1, it'll be the responsibility of our officers to enforce the smokefree legislation. If people fall foul of the law, they could face a range of penalties.

"People who smoke in a smokefree premises or work vehicles may face a fixed penalty notice of £50 or a fine by a court of up to £200. Owners who fail to prevent smoking in these areas could be fined up to £2,500.

"In addition, if they fail to display no smoking signs in their premises and work vehicles, they could face a fine by a court of up to £1,000."

Mike Donnelly from Smokefree Wirral said: "The legislation is aimed at reducing the harm secondhand smoke causes to non-smokers in public places. That harm is significant - secondhand smoke contains thousands of chemicals, many of which take the form of poisonous gases and particles that can cause cancer and increase the risk of heart disease.

"Our campaign is not about telling people they should give up smoking although we would encourage people to do that. We know from other countries that going smokefree in public places provides significant encouragement for smokers to try and give up altogether, so we will point them towards getting help if that's what they decide to do."

The effect of the legislation is far-reaching. Shops, restaurants, offices, workshops, leisure centres, shopping centres, bingo halls, bowling alleys, private members clubs, betting shops will all be affected by smokefree laws.

There are a few exemptions - hotels and care homes will be allowed to set aside indoor spaces for the sole use of smokers.

Company cars will also be subject to smokefree legislation as well as vans, taxis, buses and fleet vehicles.

However, not everyone is in favour of the changes.

Artist David Hockney has criticised the medical profession, which is campaigning for a blanket ban.

"Smoking calms me down," he said. "And it's enjoyable. A little bit of what you fancy does you good. I don't want politicians deciding what is exciting in my life. These are decisions you make yourself, not government.

"Someone has to speak up. It's a serious subject because really the subject is liberty."

TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson is also fuming about the ban.

"Why should the anti-smoking lobby dictate our lifestyle at the expense of our well-known culture of tolerance?"

Simon Clark, director of the smoker's lobby group Forest, said: "All the evidence from Ireland and Scotland, where bans have been introduced, is that smoking bans are self-regulating. Smokers are, at the end of the day, law-abiding citizens. The people who really police the smoking bans are the publicans and restaurateurs, as they are the ones worried about being fined.

"The Government should educate people about the health risks of smoking but politicians have no right to force people to quit by making it physically more difficult to consume a legal product.

"Unfortunately MPs have been seduced by an unprecedented campaign of propaganda about the effects of passive smoking, for which the evidence is inconclusive.

"Tobacco is a legal product and it is very sad that there won't be a single pub, club or bar in the country where anyone can light up without being fined.

"Don't think for a minute that it will stop at smoking - the Government will target obese people next and potentially refuse them medical treatment."

For advice on the legislation, visit the website www.smokefreeengland.co.uk or call Wirral Council on 0151 606 2020.