Glasgow bans smoking in pubs with children

Glasgow pubs could tear up their children's certificates rather than implement total smoking bans.

The city's controversial licensing board is set to enforce a new rule that would insist that any areas used by children are completely smoke free. No smoking-areas would not be enough to meet the strict rule.

In all but the biggest pubs, in practice the policy would mean an outright smoking ban. The City currently has 132 pubs with children's certificates, allowing them to serve meals to accompanied children.

Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said: "A total smoking ban would be commercial suicide for most of these pubs. When a similar rule was introduced by the licensing board in Dundee last year, most of the pubs just handed back their children's certificates."

He added that the three year cycle of license renewal meant the new rule would be imposed on pubs at different times, creating an uneven playing field.

In Glasgow, the new rule has been driven by the city council's influential community safety and health sub-committee.

Councillor James Coleman, convener of the committee said: "We can't say to parents it's OK to put their children in an area that is defined simply by a notice. That doesn't stop smoke drifting over to the children from non-smoking areas."

Mr Waterson said: "The tragedy is that all the hard work we've done in getting pubs up to the standard where they're suitable for families will now be wasted."