A second council in England has cocked-up the introduction of the smoking ban and opened the door for smokers to keep puffing away with impunity.

Smokers in the town of Fareham in Hampshire can still enjoy a cigarette in their local boozer for the next five days, despite the start of the England smoking ban on the 1 July.

Fareham borough council were not aware that the would need a full council meeting to ratify the new Public Health Bill and didn’t hold one.

Having realised their mistake the council now intends to implement the ban on 22 July.

Stoke-on-Trent, whose council made a similar administrative error and hit the headlines, granted the ability for council officials to issue fines on 16 July.

A spokeswoman for Fareham borough Council told the Press Association: “We didn't publicise that people could smoke. We had no intention to hoodwink people; it was purely an administrative decision.

“What we are expecting and finding is that the ban is self-regulatory and people are responding very positively in most areas.”

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By Christopher Walton

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