The Daily Mail features a story on the Cutting Edge Pub in Barnsley today. A customer of the landlady, Kerry Fenton found a legal loophole in the no smoking act.The Cutting Edge Pub is now a "smoking research centre". Kerry's business was struggling to survive. She said: 'Before our research centre opened we were lucky to get 10 people in at a weekend. It's certainly given business a shot in the arm and it's all in the name of research, legal and above board. On Friday we had 29, on Saturday 31 and on Sunday 46 customers in the tap room.'
Mr Martin, a printer, who discovered the legal loophole said: 'I wanted to have a pub to smoke in before they all closed down. I studied details of the act closely, we drew up the questionnaires and it's taken off in a big way.
'I have already had enquiries from other pubs about introducing research centres and I'm expecting many more to join in.'
Kerry is a non smoker herself but believes her customers should have freedom of choice and asks them to put 50p in a charity box for a donation for cancer research.
The local council, which is responsible for enforcing the ban on smoking in public places, is also looking into the matter.
Simon Frow, Barnsley Council's head of Regulatory Services, said: 'The Cutting Edge is quite clearly not a research or test facility and as such is not exempt under the legislation quoted as an attempted "get out" clause.
'Therefore, the law requiring it to be smokefree applies and we will be enforcing it.'
Of course, the first thing that is going to happen is the authorites will close the loophole and Kerry will get fined £2500
It is thoroughly disgraceful that people have to stoop to this level in order to exercise their freedom of choice. The mere fact that the number of Kerry's customers quadrupled when she opened the pub as a research centre shows that the research the government has put forward is false.
Pubs are not closing because alcohol is being highly taxed or because of the recession.
They are closing at a phenomenal rate because of the smoking ban. It's about time that someone rebelled against this inane law and staged a "sit and smoke in".
