Woman fined for breaching smoke ban
A woman has been fined £100 for lighting up in a Luton pub and refusing to leave the premises.
Smoke ban: woman breached the rules
Andrea Griffith, aged 41 of Manor Park in Houghton Regis, decided to light a cigarette in the Railway Tavern on High Town Road on 1 April.
When licensee Patrick McMullen asked her to stop smoking or leave the pub, Griffith's partner physically assaulted McMullen.
The police arrested Griffith and her partner for public order offences. She was issued with a fixed penalty notice for breaching the smoking ban and ordered to pay £30 within 15 days or £50 within 29 days.
However, she refused to pay the fine and Luton Borough Council resorted to legal action.
The court found her guilty and imposed a three-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £100 towards the council’s costs.
The District Judge told Griffiths: “The licensee of a pub has the responsibility for that premises.
"He has a really difficult job dealing with drunks and making sure people aren’t smoking. If the licensee says get out, you should get out.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Most people are complying with the smoke-free legislation.
"But this is an important case highlighting the council’s role in enforcing the ban on smoking in public places, and the council’s commitment to supporting local licensees and landlords where they are doing their best to see the law is upheld.”
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