Landlord defiant after first English smoking ban conviction
A pub landlord was fined £500 (€719) and ordered to pay £2,000 (€2,876) prosecution costs today after he admitted flouting the smoking ban in public places in England.
Hamish Howitt, 55, of Blackpool, Lancashire, is the first publican in the country to be convicted of breaching the legislation, which came into effect on July 1.
Sentencing him, District Judge Peter Ward told Howitt that his campaign was “silly, misguided and pointless”.
The owner of the Happy Scots Bar left Blackpool Magistrates’ Court vowing that he would continue to allow smokers to light up on his premises.
