Second council makes smoking ban blunder
A second council in England has cocked-up the introduction of the smoking ban and opened the door for smokers to keep puffing away with impunity.
Smokers in the town of Fareham in Hampshire can still enjoy a cigarette in their local boozer for the next five days, despite the start of the England smoking ban on the 1 July.
Fareham borough council were not aware that the would need a full council meeting to ratify the new Public Health Bill and didn't hold one.
Having realised their mistake the council now intends to implement the ban on 22 July.
Stoke-on-Trent, whose council made a similar administrative error and hit the headlines, granted the ability for council officials to issue fines on 16 July.
A spokeswoman for Fareham borough Council told the Press Association: "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."
Smokers resort to ‘cunning' plans to get round smoking ban >>
By Christopher Walton
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