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Waltham Forest Council to target businesses flouting smoking ban on national No-Smoking Day

9:49am Tuesday 9th March 2010 in


ENVIRONMENTAL health officers are clamping down on businesses flouting the smoking ban.

On national No-Smoking Day tomorrow (Wednesday), the council's officers will be visiting bars, coffee shops and other businesses in the borough and prosecuting any business owners allowing smoking indoors.

The council said some businesses are still allowing people to smoke indoors, despite the no-smoking law being introduced almost three years ago.

Business owners who fail to stop people smoking in smokefree premises could be fined £2,500.

Waltham Forest Council’s cabinet member for community safety and enforcement, Cllr Afzal Akram, said: “The vast majority of businesses in Waltham Forest comply with the law and make alternate provision for people who want to smoke.

“We have done an enormous amount of work to make sure businesses know what the law is and will be taking action against the minority who choose to ignore it."

People smoking in a smoke-free premises or company car could face a £50 fixed penalty notice.

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Comments(12)

Pamella says...
12:32pm Tue 9 Mar 10

another way of extorting money out of hard pressed businesses.

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DaveA says...
1:01pm Tue 9 Mar 10

With 3 pubs already closed in Leytonstone alone due to the smoking ban, Cllr Afzal Akram wishes to inflict more misery on the hard working tax payer that remunerates him.

What Akram needs to do is write to the local hospitality places and say the smoking ban will not be enforced, thus giving a life line to local pubs.

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sensibility says...
1:01pm Tue 9 Mar 10

perhaps they should get their own house in order first. Staff and contractors still smoke in work vehicles and you can see street sweepers smoking on the job too.

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Nairn says...
2:23pm Tue 9 Mar 10

phew....good job you've given them all plenty of notice so that for tomorrow only they will adhere to the ban!

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Techno2 says...
5:25pm Tue 9 Mar 10

What an interesting story about the council sending its staff out on a well publicised crack-down, the article about it all only coincidentally full of publicity for Cllr Afzal Akram ahead of his coming bid for re-election.

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Earle Martin says...
5:35pm Tue 9 Mar 10

DaveA writes: "3 pubs already closed in Leytonstone alone due to the smoking ban..."

Citation or it didn't happen.

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DaveA says...
5:49pm Tue 9 Mar 10

@Eddie

Kirkdales, Zulus, the Loaded Dog and the Lincoln.

Kirkdales was my local and is now mediterranean eatery. The other 3 are boarded up for sale. Sorry four in all.

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inézc says...
6:21pm Tue 9 Mar 10

I note that the street sweepers are seen smoking on the job from one of the above comments; yet by definition their work is outside and therefore they are not breaking the smoking ban.

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Rick S says...
9:01pm Tue 9 Mar 10

Oh dear, I hope someone's told Gillian Merron that some businesses are still allowing smoking indoors - "She went on to describe the smoking ban of 2007 as a “tremendous success” and said it had the support of 80 per cent of the public and that there has been a 95 per cent compliance rate with smoke free legislation."

If Waltham Forest is typical of the rest of the country, that compliance rate isn't going to look so good.

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March Hare says...
9:16pm Tue 9 Mar 10

Hardly on a par with The Jockey in 'Shameless' I imagine - mind you, you wouldn't want to serve an enforcement order on the Maguires!

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DaveA says...
12:16am Wed 10 Mar 10

@Tracey

People go to a pub for different reasons. Mine are who goes there, how convenient to get to, what smoking provisions has the landlord made and finally what drinks they serve.

Yes the Lincolns was a police action, at Kirkdales the landlord told me 70% of his customers smoked and I guess the smoking ban took its toll.

The Loaded Dog was a music venue, Zulus a local whos customer base worked out you can buy 5 pints for £5 from Tescos and smoke at home in the warm.

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Investigations says...
2:04am Wed 10 Mar 10

On my next visit to Waltham Forest I'll bring my patent travelling hookah which has been adapted for use in non-smoking environments! With its non-return valve system and long flexible exhaust pipe I am sure that it will meet the requirements of enforcement officers in all parts of the country! It can be used anywhere near an opening to fresh air even in cars and public transport without causing offence! I'm sure that Cllr Afzal Akram will give it his blessing!

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