Residents fume at smoking ban in gardens
Furious OAPS are huffing and puffing over a council ban which forbids them from having a cigarette in their own GARDENS.
The residents of Buckland Lodge sheltered housing scheme at Netherfield will face an on the spot 50 fine if they are caught smoking in the grounds of their complex.
"I have never heard anything so ridiculous. Some of us have been smoking for 60 years or more and we're hardly going to give up now. What harm is there in going outside to enjoy a smoke in our garden?" said one.
The ban, which comes into force today (Thursday), is part of a Milton Keynes Council initiative to stop smoking in all council-owned buildings. It will lead the way to the Government's nationwide ban on smoking in all public places including restaurants, pubs and workplaces due to come into effect on July 1.
But the council does not have the power to stop people having a cigarette in their own homes so ironically the Buckland Lodge residents can still smoke indoors, where the risk of others inhaling passive smoke is greater.
"It seems crazy that people can smoke inside and not outside," said another resident, who is a non-smoker. Us non smokers don't have any problem with people going outside and enjoying a cigarette in the fresh air. We think we should have been consulted before the council went ahead and brought in this ban."
The new ruling will also affect 3,500 council staff, including contractors, drivers, day care centres and schools.No smoking signs have been placed on council buildings and vehicles and, from July 1, landlords and employers who ignore the ban could face fines of up to 2,500. Failing to display no-smoking signs could lead to further fines of 200.
Council leader Isobel McCall said when launching the scheme: "This council will be an example of good practice and demonstrate strong community leadership in protecting people from the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke.
"That is one reason why we have decided to go ahead and ban smoking before it becomes law in the summer."
A council spokesman said: "We are not asking the residents to stop smoking but we are stopping them from smoking in the communal areas that could harm other residents.
"It's not fair on non-smokers. Milton Keynes Council is leading the way by adopting the new smoking in public places laws ahead of when the ban comes into force across the country in July."
sally.murrer@mkcitizen.co.uk
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Thursday 09 February 2012
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