ASHES TO ASHES ... ; Smokers Enjoy Last, Long Drag Before Ban

Jul 01, 04:17 PM

Current Headlines: By CLAIRE MORRALL

SMOKERS in the Midlands made one final protest against the ban on cigarettes yesterday - by staging an allday smokeathon.

Drinkers at The Wellington in Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, puffed away on fags, pipes and cigars just hours before lighting up in pubs was made illegal.

The ban came into force at 6am today. Tim Knight, British Pipe Smoking Champion, organised the smokeathon which kicked off at 10am yesterday - and labelled the new legislation "draconian".

The 43 year-old office manager, who lives in the city centre, said: "Smoking and drinking in this country goes back 400 years.

"In the 1700s, public houses actually supplied clay pipes and tobacco and you could go into a pub or tavern and get a pint of beer and a pipe of baccie.

"I think the ban is wrong. You can walk down Broad Street and breathe in more cancerous particles from the diesel engines on the buses than you do from smoking a pipe.

"The smokeathon idea came to me because if we're going to smoke in here for the last time, then we were going to have a bloody good drink!

"We're going to smoke and drink ourselves insensible!"

Cleaner Jenny Brown was so enraged that her drinking pals are being forced outside to puff away that she took up smoking just yesterday in protest.

The 56 year-old from Billesley, said: "It's ridiculous. The Government are taking away all your rights and privileges.

They're killing the pub trade! They've gone too far.

"They also take a load of tax on cigarettes, so what are they going to put the tax up on to make up for the loss of the money?

"It's disgusting and I'm going to carry on smoking from today!"

Lawyer Marcus Kraehling-Smith, 44 from Edgbaston, was also taking part in the smokeathon.

"We're here today having a smoke on the basis that we're saying: 'Excuse me, but this is wrong. Even smokers have human rights,'" he explained.

While smokers protested in The Wellington, fans of the fags in The Barton Arms, Aston, continued to light up ahead of the ban.

Handsworth resident Annette Giles, who took up the habit 42 years ago as a 16 year-old, said: "I think the ban is terrible - that's why I'm wearing black. I'm in mourning.

"It's just another part of our independence gone. It's everyone's basic right if they want to smoke or don't want to smoke.

"I'm a heavy smoker and can't see myself going outside every time I want a cigarette. I'll probably stop going to the pub."

Glyn Adgie, 53 and from Moseley, has smoked for over 30 years and is a regular at The Barton Arms.

"The Government has gone totally over the top!" he said.

"At work there's just the two of us. We both smoke. Why can't we smoke if we want to? Who are we harming?"

Pal David Baylis, a 66 year-old engineer from Acocks Green, agreed, and said: "I've been a heavy smoker for 50 years. The only reason that they don't make it illegal is because the Government collects an awful lot of money from cigarettes."

But not all drinkers thought the new legislation was a bad thing.

Gareth Williams smoked for 17 years before he kicked the habit. The 38 year-old, from Gloucester, said: "I can't wait for it to happen. Smoky pubs really annoy me!

"As an ex-smoker, one of my pet hates is waking up on a Sunday morning with my bedroom smelling of someone else's smoke because it's on my clothes.

"I'm suffering because of someone else's habit.

"The pub is a great British institution where you come in, drink beer and smoke. Personally, I'm all for it."

Retired non-smoker Keith Owens, 56 and from Kingstanding, agreed.

"I think the ban will make things a lot more pleasant," he said. "I choose to sit with these people because they're friends of mine but I do think it'll be much nicer when the ban comes in.

"At the moment when I get up the following morning, I can't stop coughing."

SundayMercury@mrn.co.uk

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