What The Local Papers Say About David
'Illogical' smoking ban gets a mixed reaction
Bury Free Press, 17 February 2006
Smokers were this week given the cold shoulder by a massive Parliamentary vote in favour of a total ban on smoking in public - and the move was welcomed by many in west Suffolk.
However, West Suffolk MP Richard Spring and Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley voted against the legislation, which outlaws smoking in private clubs, bars and restaurants.
Landlord at the Rose and Crown, in Bury St Edmunds, Tony Fayers, also had reservations and said he believed the ban should have covered lunchtime food service only.
"Then we could go back to being a good, traditional pub, smoke and all," he said.
Mr Fayers said this week that smokers were still welcome and he was making arrangements for a heated yard area once the ban comes into effect.
Mr Spring said: "It seems illogical to me. If people want to belong to a private club and smoke in that private club and make arrangements for segregated areas, they should be allowed to do so.
"Smoking is not illegal. This is intrusion which is a step too far.
"More people will now smoke in their homes and who knows what the impact of that will be," he added.
Mildenhall Social Club said it would have been satisfied with a partial ban.
"Most of our customers are smokers and, as such, do not welcome the ban," said Silva Manels, stewardess licensee of the club.
"I've already had customers tell me that they would rather stay at home where they can drink and smoke. But a lot of people are happy with this decision."
Mrs Manels said she expected the club committee to introduce a ban next year.
The Angel Hotel, in Bury, has been a non-smoking venue since January and said it did not see any significant change in business as a result.
The ban is to be imposed on all enclosed public areas, excluding care homes, hospitals, prisons and hotel bedrooms.
Any venue found to be in breach of the ban would be liable to to a fine of up to £2,500.
West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury, is already a non smoking zone.
The Strategic Health Authority for Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and cancer charities have also backed the move.
What you think...
Martin Baylis, 34, Landlord of the Nutshell Pub, Bury.
"I am worried that the ban might affect business, but if it is a blanket ban it will affect everyone else as well.
"At least people will be able to breathe properly, because it can get very smoky in here in winter because it is too cold to go outside."
Stephanie Drake, 44, Norwich"A ban would stop me going into my local pub because I do enjoy a drink and a cigarette.
"Food should be served separately, outside an area where people can smoke and drink."
Daryl Fuller, 31, Bury
"I have just stopped smoking and I am looking forward to the ban, because it is hard at the moment to go into a pub and smell cigarettes and have a drink and not smoke."
Mary Caine, 54, Bury Market stallholder
"It should be down to the individual businesses to make a decision.
"Some people who smoke don't mind working in a smoky atmosphere. Something like this can't be imposed in order to make more people give up - they have to be willing to give up in the first place."
John Sheppard, 63, Bury
"We are going to find everybody smoking in the streets and there will be so many fag ends lying around.
"We should go back to the old days in pubs where you used to have a public bar, a snug and a smoking bar."
Lisa Evans, 20, Barmaid in The Grapes Pub, Bury
"The Grapes is mainly a drinkers' pub and more than 90 per cent of our customers are smokers. I lived in Italy for seven months and it's no smoking over there and people just deal with it. It's weird to come back to a smoke-filled pub. Smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand, it's what people do and what they're used to."