Businesses in England will be encouraged to keep a written record of anyone caught smoking in a public place and provide sufficient evidence to local authorities to levy a fine.

According to today’s Daily Telegraph Conservative local government spokesman Eric Pickles said regulations to implement the ban would see smoking incident forms handed out to employers.

Those that failed to provide assistance or information to local authority inspectors by filling in the forms face a fine of £1,000. If business managers fail to stop a person smoking on their premises they face a fine of £2,500.

Pickles said the regulations to enforce the ban would create a “snoopers' charter” of heavy-handed surveillance and zealous local authority inspectors.

He also said the fines could be used by local authorities as a cash cow for incremental revenues.

Read full report here >>

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By Christopher Walton

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