Not a whiff of trouble as smoking ban comes in

Jul 3 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

Close-up shot of woman smoking

ENFORCERS of the new anti-smoking legislation in Liverpool said the introduction of the ban had so far proved trouble-free.

They reported no major infringements by businesses or complaints from members of the public regarding smoking in pubs or offices.

They said the only infringements they had encountered so far regarded having the correct signage in place. Enforcement teams yesterday visited hundreds of premises to ensure the smoke-free legislation, which became law on Sunday, was observed.

Last night, they attributed the success in Liverpool to the long run-up to the legislation being introduced, and the visits made to licensed premises before July 1.

Andy Hull, public protection manager for Liverpool city council, who is responsible for enforcing the new legislation, said: “This has been an amazingly successful introduction of the smoke-free law.

“Although we are taking a low-key approach at first, we had anticipated having to deal with at least a number of inquiries or complaints, but they just haven’t materialised.”