Delighted anti-smoking campaigners today revealed new figures showing nearly all Shropshire businesses and workplaces have complied with the smoke-free law.Out of more than 3,000 premises inspected, 99.7 per cent were respecting the law introduced on July 1 to prohibit smoking in enclosed premises, enforcement officers found.
Linda Offord, co-ordinator of the Smokefree Alliance for Shropshire County and Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trusts, said: “These figures indicate how smoothly the new smoke-free law has been introduced.
“Whether it is a pub, restaurant, office or factory, virtually every business appears to have taken the new legislation in their stride.
“The high level of compliance is testament not only to the businesses, landlords and members of the public who have wholeheartedly embraced the new law, but also to the council environmental health officers who have carried out their work with a commitment to advising people, rather than punishing them, to help ensure exposure to tobacco smoke within premises is a thing of the past.”
Dr Kevin Lewis, associate specialist in public health for the two trusts, said lives across Shropshire would be saved by the law.
“Removing secondhand smoke from enclosed public and work environments is an enormous step for public health,” he said.
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18 Comments
Is this the new law that fines landlords £2500,thus making them enforce the law?
Thats not a success,thats big brother bullying.
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The Ban maybe working but what effect is this having on the businesses, my local has been empty every night since this awful Ban came into place. How many business must close before they realise this law causes more harm than good!!
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Smoking is a filthy, addictive, dangerous and poisinous drug that was glamourised by the media for many many years. Its only now that we see the effects of it and peopel are complaining becuase business might suffer by getting rid of it! Those business that made a profit by it for all those years should be forced to pay the money back.
(In the same way that smoking crack, carrying guns and dressing and acting like prostitutes is glamourised by media today and we just starting to see the effects of that! Wait 30 years when your local strip clib, casino, brothel and drug den will be seen as another local business that needs to be protected!)
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Why cant we stick up for our local strip clubs!! we’ve only just got the first one opened in Telford and with another hopefully opening in shrewsbury soon, we should be asking for more!!! Marco i think you must lead a very sheltered and boring life!
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Why should these ‘businsses’ suffer if ,as you say,its the fault of the media glamourising this ‘filthy’ habit?
Surely the ‘businesses’ who should suffer are the very manufacturers of this drug.They ,if anyone,should do the paying back!!
Of course this will not happen whilst our ‘caring’ government who brought about this law, continue to reap the taxes from the poor folks who become addicted to this drug!!!
There is a bigger issue here as mentioned earlier,the big brother element that looms above us!!!
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Billy Bob I am all for sticking it up for the local strip club -wether its local talent or girls lured in from eastern european countries. Just dont be the one to complain in future when your son cant see whats wrong with pimping your 16 year old crack addicted daughter.
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Rose, what is the alternative the the big brother that looms over us? Are you suggesting for a moment that people think for themselves and take responsibility?
I just read this morning at the bbc that even the police are afraid to take action because of the constant rules and procedures and red tape!
I worked out how much tax I pay and I think its truly amazing that every day I work from 9 in the morning to feed others, and then only 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon for myself and my family!!!!!!
Its not a ‘big bother element’ that looms over us but rather a hungry parasite that sucks the very life out of us – leaving behind empty shells devoid of any responsibility.
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“Just dont be the one to complain in future when your son cant see whats wrong with pimping your 16 year old crack addicted daughter.”
Marco you’ve got issues mate.
Are you saying all strippers are Eastern European crack headed wh*res? Bit stereotypical, shallow and an insult to all strippers dont you think?
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No Morgan, what I meant was:
Dont be surprised when one day your son has got absolutely no respect for women except as sex objects to profit from when he grows up seeing his role models only showing real and undivided attention in women when they are young, pretty and naked.
Dont be surprised either when your daughter grows up thinking that her self respect is based on appearance and sex – when she grows up noticing that the only time men show real and undivided attention in women is when they are young, pretty and naked.
All I am saying is that turning a blind eye while focusing on the money has side effects and a price that often isnt paid buy those making the profit.
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I understand what your trying to say Marco but your statement “the only time men show real and undivided attention in women is when they are young, pretty and naked.” again is stereotypical.
I am sure you would agree not all men are like this hence your comments towards this. If I’m wrong I apologise but dont women love to look pretty and sexy? They mainly do this to attract someone (Pretty much how god intended through the whole animal kingdom).
It seems with strippers they know they got the looks and figured out that there is a way of making money out of pleasing people who either go for a laugh or people who are not good with women so it’s an experience for them! I can see how this can affect your siblings perspective but would she really want to grow up wanting people like this to give her attention? Only if she decided to become a stripper which is not exactly something you tend to read for her school essay on “What I want to do when I am older”
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This is developing into quite an interesting debate here! However,the original topic was the smoking ban yet now we seem to have switched to the sex industry! Great,just up my ’street’ as I am an independent escort! I am very much English,quite well educated and am a few years from my teens!
My clients are all very respectable and respectful and very often married gentlemen, who Im sure would be embarrassed to hear themselves being compared to some teenager who may want to pimp his own sister!
Show of hands please…who can honestly say they have never visited a ‘professional’ lady?
I am all for the strip club in Wellington,yet the usual problem will occur,exploitation of young vulnerable girls.
Mind you if you ask me that is what happens in every retail outlet and supermarket….now theres another story!!!!
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Lol Rose, yeah we did kinda drifted off from the original topic.
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Hi,
I can’t begin to tell you how much i hate this smoking ban.
It has ruined what litle social life i have.
Last week i had to go to the pub as it was my sisters birthday,the inside of the pub reminded me of a cafe,with 4 people drinking coffee!!.
The other 9 people (my family)were sat outside in the cold(smokers and non smokers)—what is the point–may as well be sat in my back garden.
I feel like some kind of second class citizen–not somone who has worked since the age of 15–paid taxes all my life–and a hefty whack of tax on my cigarettes!!
What an unfair law.
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well said welshdai, i completely agree the whole novelty of going out to a pub/bar/club has been thrown off this planet we may as well become recluses n sit at home n smoke. sad for all the landlords of pubs etc what a punishment! they wont be getting any business from me!
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They did it with smoking and there now doing it with eating.
This country is getting rediculas!
Leave people alone!
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Somekinda novelty pav! Sittin’ in a smoke filled room full of smelly smokers. We have had a ban on smoking in public places for the past ten years in this part of the world – and the publicans are still doing a good trade. But then most people with any common sense don’t smoke in the first place. Maybe you and your fellow puffers should consider yours (and maybe others’) health and give up this nasty habit.
Try taking a bike ride, run or walk in the evenings instead of the public house routine.
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SMOKING SHOULD BE BANNED ALLTOGETHER
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There seem to be two main arguments tabled by those in favour of the smoking ban:
1. Smokers are smelly people, and the make the pub smell, and my clothes smell.
2. They are killing me by making me inhale second-hand smoke.
With regard to 1., that is a complaint about an assault on the senses. May I counter that many pubs now stink of fried food. I do not like the stink of fried food when attempting to enjoy a glass of wine, or a pint of ale. Nor do I like my clothes to stink like a deep fat fryer afterwards. Also, many people I see in pubs are either ugly or wear clothes that my eyes find offensive. What am I to do? Ask them to move from my line of sight to stop any further assault on my sense of sight?
Concerning 2., I’ve not seen nor read any empirical, scientific, peer-reviewed evidence that second hand smoke is a proven killer. Indeed the House of Lords has already stated this: [i]Report from politics.co.uk:
The Lords economic affairs committee warns the ban is an example of how the government has become “excessively risk averse” when formulating policy, listening to the media too much and failing to make fully objective decisions.
It says the effect of passive smoking at home is more serious than that posed in pubs and clubs, but the ban agreed in February fails to address this problem.
In their report, peers say more attention should have been paid to alternative options, noting that many business leaders believed a blanket ban was unnecessary, given that most firms were banning smoking on their premises voluntarily.
They also note that insufficient attention was paid by ministers to the effect the smoking ban would have on personal liberty – arguing that the idea that the risks of passive smoking might be offset by possible limits on people’s freedom to smoke was not properly considered….
Today’s report warns that, while the health risks of smoking are well documented, the risks associated with passive smoking do not justify a ban, and suggests ministers may have been unduly influenced by media scare stories about the issue.
“The most important thing government can do is to ensure that its own policy decisions are soundly based on available evidence and not unduly influenced by transitory or exaggerated opinions, whether formed by the media or vested interests,” it says.[/i]
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