Smokers are being told not to smoke at home to protect council staff from second hand smoke. Liverpool City Council are asking homeowners to refrain from smoking at least half an hour before a council visit. Smokers are being warned that they face losing their rights to council services if they do light up.
Simon Clark of pro-smoking lobby group FOREST, said this was taking the ban too far:
“Smokers pay council tax just like anyone else and deserve to have access to the same basic council services as anyone else. The idea that councils will have the power to revoke these services if people light up in front of them in the comfort of their own home is ridiculous.”
But Carol Lever, campaigner for the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said council workers should have the right to work in smoke-free environments:
“There are no human rights in place that say a person has the right to harm the health of another human being so they can indulge in a habit. People are not being told they cannot smoke only that they are not allowed to smoke in places that expose workers to the dangers of second-hand smoke.”
Liverpool council insists the new rules are not a ban and they will not be able to force householders to comply.
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