Taking Liberties

A reader writes:

I recently visited a young family in a council maisonette block and the first thing I saw (apart from a mountain of rubbish, broken glass, dirty nappies, etc littering the area outside of the flats) was a huge IT IS ILLEGAL TO SMOKE INSIDE THESE PREMISES sign on the communal door. 
 
Inside, the hallway stank of urine and was littered with slices of mouldy bread and butter scattered on the stairs, as well as other rubbish. A little smell of smoke caused by residents - all of whom smoke in the small block - going about their daily business could only be an improvement.
 
Compare this with another visit I made to a nice middle class gated block of flats. Very clean and nice with carpeted stairs ... but absolutely no signs stating that it is illegal to smoke in the communal areas of this apartment complex. 
 
Could it possibly be anything to do with class (ie those who live in council accommodation can be legally bullied while those who live in cozy middle class lodgings are treated with kid gloves)?

A reader writes:

I find it interesting that my local council (Rotherham) has seen fit to put signs on every bus stop in the town saying "It is against the law to smoke in this area" despite the fact that some of these bus stops are not "substantially enclosed". A lot of these bus stops consist of just a back wall and a roof, with no sides or front.

I have contacted the council to ask if anyone has been fined or cautioned for smoking in these bus stops, but they will not comment. I also asked if it is illegal to display signs saying that smoking is illegal in these bus stops when, according to the current legislation, it is not against the law to smoke there. They refuse to comment. I have even seen a "No Smoking" sign on a bus stop which is simply a pole in the ground with a timetable on it - no roof!!
 
Rotherham council, like so many others, believes that it is in the right to do whatever it wants and seems to believe that the law can be misinterpreted by them with no comeback from the public. We must do what we can to stamp this out.

Note: Forest is currently compiling a series of "Little Britain" stories for publication later this year. Email contact@forestonline.org.

Another reader writes:

I work in Sheffield city centre and recently have noticed more and more "smoking police".  These people are employed by the local authority as "City Centre Ambassadors" and are supposed to help/assist shoppers, give directions etc as well as issuing fixed penalty notices for littering. 

However, I rarely see the City Centre Ambassadors helping anyone.  Instead, they hang around watching people smoking outside the shops, restaurants etc hoping that they'll drop their cigarette end on the floor and pounce on them to issue an on-the-spot-fine.  They even follow potential victims so that they can issue a ticket. 

It seems to be the policy of Sheffield City Council to make the life of the smoker as hard as possible as there are very few bins around. Apparently private business have to apply for planning permission to put an ashtry up outside their business and more often than not Sheffield Council refuses the application on the grounds that it will encourage smoking!! They then have the "smoking police" to fine people.  The smoking police don't even attempt to give warnings to people. 

I'm all for a litter-free Britain but issuing very expensive fines is just a money making racket.  I wonder whether they have targets or get paid based on the number of tickets issued.  Why can't they just ask the person to pick up their cigarette end and put it in a bin??  Are they just power crazed individuals who have let their uniforms go to their heads?  Or is it Sheffield City Council who wants to make lots of money out of issuing on-the-spot fines?

A reader writes:

Last Friday I went to Birmingham on a business trip. I booked a room in a hotel where I could smoke and my reservation was made at the end of October, months in advance. On the Friday evening I was shown to my room.
I lit a cigarette and looked around for an ashtray. As I couldn't find one I used a glass in the room. I then called room service for some food. When the waiter arrived, he pointed at me and screamed "That's illegal" and ran down to reception to report me to the duty manager. 

Just as I started to eat the duty manager phoned my room and gave me what can only be described as a tirade of abuse due to the fact that I was in a non-smoking room. I pointed out that it was their mistake as I had booked a smoking room but she continued with some outrageous accusations: (1)  I had done it on purpose knowing that it was a non-smoking room; (2) I had used a glass that would have to be "decontaminated" and I would have to pay for it; (3) the room would have to be fumigated immediately and I would have to pay for it; (4) I could not stay there and would have to be moved to another room.

I agreed to move to a smoking room but I told her that I refused to pay a fine as the mistake was made by them.  She then said that smoking rooms could not always be supplied and I pointed out that five months' notice should be sufficient to secure one. If I had known it was only provisional I would have gone elsewhere. 

When I went to pay my bill on Sunday a £50 charge had been added for fumigation. After a lengthy dispute with the manager I managed to get the fee cancelled. I can only say that I was shocked by the treatment I received from both the waiter and particularly the duty manager who by her tone almost implied that what I was doing was as bad as taking illegal drugs on the premises. 

I will be writing to the general manager to complain further about this but thought you might be interested in my experience. 

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