Shop a smoker hotline for pubs

Clubbers and pubbers are being told to shop smokers to enforce the ban on lighting up in public places.

Members of the public will be able to call an 0800 hotline number to tip off town halls about breaches of the ban which comes into force next summer.

Environmental health officers will then be able to launch surveillance operations and raids to catch pubs, clubs, restaurants or other venues that are illegally allowing smoking.

Colleagues will also be able to use the hotline to name individuals flouting the ban at work or in other enclosed public places. Individuals who refuse to stop lighting up in public places face a £50 on-the-spot fine or a £200 court fine.

Owners of premises allowing illegal smoking are likely to risk a court fine of up to £2,500. If they fail to display a non-smoking sign they face a £200 on-the-spot fine or a £1,000 court fine.

Health Minister Andy Burnham said today: "Implementation of the ban from summer 2007 will mean that 99 per cent of employees will be working in a smokefree environment.

"We know from the experience of other countries that smoke-free legislation is largely self-enforcing. However, we are proposing to introduce a smoke-free compliance line as a supportive measure. The health risks of second-hand smoke are well established.

"Introduction of smoke-free legislation is a huge step forward for public health and will help reduce deaths from cancer, heart disease and other smoking-related diseases." The hotline will be a national number but is likely to put callers through to their local council, which will enforce the ban.

A government consultation exercise on fine levels, anti-smoking signs, enforcement of the ban and other regulations is due to finish on 9 October. Ministers floated the idea of a hotline last year but decided only recently that they will definitely go ahead with the scheme. The ban may be extended to football grounds, open bus shelters and the doorways of offices.

A shop-a-smoker hotline was introduced in Scotland when smoking was outlawed in public buildings in March this year. The number of calls reached 60 a day in April, though this fell to 14 in the last week in July.