Kettering Hospital does U-turn on smoking


Smoking U-turn
A hospital has been forced into a U-turn over its no smoking policy after being unable to legally enforce a ban on visitors and patients.
Kettering General Hospital banned smoking anywhere on its grounds last year, meaning staff and patients had to leave the site if they wanted a cigarette.

But following complaints that patients were flouting the rules, the hospital has had to relent and spend £25,000 putting up four smoking shelters.

Staff are still banned from smoking on the site and can be disciplined if they break the rules.

The hospital's chief executive said they understood some visitors crave a cigarette in times of difficulty or stress.

Dr Mark Newbold said: "Smoking has been illegal inside hospital buildings since July 1, 2007, in the same way it is now illegal in pubs and restaurants. However, the law does not extend to the grounds of the hospital, where we are only able to request patients and visitors refrain from smoking voluntarily.

"We do know people who blatantly smoke in front of hospital buildings cause annoyance to other patients and visitors and to our own staff.
"They also set a poor public health example to impressionable children and younger people.

"However, we do appreciate many people find it difficult to refrain from smoking, particularly at times in their life when they may be under great stress and concerned about their own, or a loved one's health. Because of this we have tried to strike a sensible balance to accommodate the differing needs of our patients and visitors."

Dr Newbold said the shelters have been sited away from main entrances, near Rothwell Road, the pathology department, the maternity block and beyond the main entrance.

Carol Darnell, from Wellingborough, is an out-patient at the hospital and said the use of the smoking shelters must be enforced.

She said: "I am against smoking and when I was at the hospital a couple of weeks ago, a workman who was clearing up cigarette butts was saying he shouldn't have to do it. The smoking shelters seem like a good idea providing they are enforced – I think it's money well spent.

"It could help the hospital save money in the long run if it means they don't have to pay people to clean up all the cigarette ends.

"I don't think it was too ambitious of the hospital to try for a complete ban on its grounds but I understand people enjoy smoking."

A recent Freedom of Information request revealed three members of hospital staff have been reprimanded for smoking on the hospital site since it went smoke-free.
http://www.northantset.co.uk

RAOB Club set to appeal fine
Andy Passant, Evening Gazette

A CLUB prosecuted for flouting the smoking ban has lodged an appeal after losing its court battle.

The RAOB Club in Middlesbrough became the first corporate body in the UK to be taken to court for breaching the ban.

It was prosecuted by Middlesbrough Council after a club member was allegedly caught smoking not long after the legislation was brought in last July. It resulted in the club being fined £1,000 with £1,415.50 costs and club secretary David James being fined £500.

Club officials reacted angrily to the prosecution, claiming it was an attack on the working man by the “bully boys” of the Government.

Now the Wilton Street club is appealing against the court’s decision. Mr James said they had lodged an appeal but added: “It could be two to three months until we get a date.”

Solicitor John Wilkin, of law firm Punch Robson, said: “We have taken counsel’s opinion on the merits of our prospective appeal. We are cautiously optimistic.”

Mr James said the club had received support from its members and from other clubs. “We have had calls from other clubs. We have had backing from every member in this club. We haven’t had any member turn round and say you are wrong.”

Mr James had denied allowing people to light up in the club but the prosecution case was found proved at Teesside Magistrates Court.

The trial was told that a club member had been caught smoking by a Middlesbrough Council enforcement officer last October.

Mark Wagstaff, a public health enforcement officer, said he found member Christopher Farrow in breach of the ban. Mr Wagstaff also claimed ashtrays and seats had been put at the back of the building to form an illegal smoking shelter.

Middlesbrough Council began investigating following an anonymous tip-off from a member. The council says the case shows they will pursue those who allow the smoke-free laws to be broken.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk

Smokers hit by 'seven screws' ban 
 
The gazebo was put up in the pub's garden to cater for smokers
A York pub landlord has been told to knock down a gazebo put up for smokers in his garden because of seven screws.

Robin Watson built the facility in The Shoulder of Mutton's beer garden after the introduction of the smoking ban.

He used the screws to secure the gazebo to the ground, but York Council said the move breached planning rules.

Because it is fixed to the concrete and has been in place for more than a year, it requires planning permission, said a council spokeswoman.

Such a structure is deemed "permanent", she explained.

Mr Watson said he was sent a letter from the council which gave him three choices: Apply for planning permission, take the structure down, or be liable for a £20,000 fine.   The council seem to see it as a way to make more money out of businesses

Mr Watson said: "They know how many pubs are closing down at the moment. I can't understand why they are pressing on with something so petty as this.

"If you did this in your own back garden there would be no pressure whatsoever.

"We pay all our council rates. The council seems to see it as a way to make more money out of businesses."

A spokeswoman for York Council said: "The council's planning enforcement team has written to the owners of the property asking them to take the structure down or apply for planning permission."
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Noisy smokers put club licence in danger
A club owner fears he may lose his license because of the noise smokers are making outside his club since the smoking ban was imposed.

Steve Cottingham, owner of Cromer's private members club, Blazers, is to appear before the North Norfolk District Council licensing committee following a series of complaints made about the club, which include grievances about the noise from smokers in the street.

Despite employing a bouncer to try to keep the sound levels from smokers in check, he does not know what else he can do to prevent the complaints and fears the law could spell the end for Blazers club, which has been on the Surrey Street site for many years.

On a quiet back street in Cromer, Blazers has faced complaints from local home owners about the noise from the club from loud amplified music and the noise caused by clubbers in the street since no smoking legislation was introduced.

To remedy the problem Mr Cottingham has cancelled all his live bands from the end of August and rearranged his speakers.

He has also spent £12,000 soundproofing the building.

But he said he had breached a noise abatement notice because of the recurring problem of people smoking in the street.

He said that the smoking ban had not been thought through and the government was not protecting the licensee from smokers who make noise outside their pubs and clubs.

Sisters Simone and Leona Hopwood who run The Wellington in Cromer town centre said the smoking ban was also causing problems for them.

Simone said they had lost customers because of the smoking ban as they have to come down heavily on them and tell them to move on if they are smoking in the street.

“By imposing the no smoking ban it is the government who have created the noise on the street”, she said.

A spokesman for North Norfolk District Council said: “There are a handful of businesses we are aware of where there is a recurring problem with noise from smokers outside.

But that is a handful out of 500 licensed premises in Norfolk.

If these problems do continue then one option is to review their license and put conditions on it.

“Landlords are trying to bend over backwards to accommodate these concerns though”, he said.

He advised people to talk to the district council for help.



Blazer's premises license will go before North Norfolk District Council licensing committee on September 3 at 10am.
http://new.edp24.co.uk

A real drag if cigs have to go under the counter

DERBY shopkeepers have expressed concern about a proposed ban on displaying cigarettes for sale.
The Department of Health is putting forward new laws to restrict the display of tobacco products, which could mean shopkeepers having to take down wall-mounted cigarette cabinets.
If the proposal gets the go-ahead, shops will have to keep cigarettes under the counter and provide a list of brands and prices for customers to choose from.
Satnem Shanan, who owns The Sandwich Shop, in St Peter's Churchyard, said the legislation would have a damaging effect on his trade.
The 37-year-old said: "Tobacco products are what bring a lot of people into my shop and I'd say about half of my business comes from them.
"They are not the biggest money-maker but it's what a lot of people come in for."
Katherine Graham, campaign manager for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, a coalition of 16,000 independent retailers, said: "Forcing retailers to keep tobacco under the counter would be very costly and highly impractical for small shops."
But Chris Reader, who works in Market News in the Guildhall Market, said: "If people want to smoke then they will do so whether cigarettes are on display or not. A lot of customers already know what brand of cigarette they want by the time they come here so it wouldn't really stop them.
"If we had to stock cigarettes underneath the counter and keep bending up and down every time someone wanted a packet of cigarettes it would be a bit of an inconvenience."
The proposal, which is in the consultation phase, follows the introduction of the nationwide smoking ban, which came into effect in July last year.
Anti-smoking organisation Ash hailed that ban as a success and it believes the removal of shop displays could stop young people becoming addicted to smoking.
A spokesman said: "About 400,000 people gave up smoking in the UK last year and 70% of smokers want to do the same today. Tobacco companies rely on recruiting new smokers in their place and they do this by packaging their products in bright, eye-catching boxes."
But a spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest said the action would be damaging to the rights of smokers.
He said: "Forcing people to buy cigarettes from underneath the counter could make smokers feel ashamed of themselves and in a free country it should not be possible to make people feel like social lepers."
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk

£3.7m up in smoke as 47% fail to quit after seeking NHS help

The NHS has spent £3.7 million on helping West smokers who were unsuccessful in their attempts to kick the habit following the introduction of the public ban last summer.
The first statistics on smokers since the public smoking ban came into force in England in July last year showed that in the past year, 53 per cent of the 61,962 people in the South West who tried to give up smoking, actually succeeded. In the year before the ban, 55 per cent of the 55,110 who tried to kick the habit successfully quit.
NHS South West spent £129.20 per smoker helping them to try to give up last year, amounting to a spend of £4.2m on those who were successful.
But it means £3.7m was spent on people who did not manage to stop smoking.
Dorset Primary Care Trust (PCT) had the highest success rate, with 69 per cent quitting, while smokers in Herefordshire brought up the rear with just 45 per cent giving up.
A total of 70 per cent of those setting a quit date received Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), such as nicotine patches, gum or nasal spray.
Keith Williams, the health programme advisor for Dorset PCT, said the key to their success was choice in their SmokeStop Service.
"The fall in the year of the ban may be down to those people who thought it was a good idea to stop because of the ban, but in reality it wasn't the right time for them," he said.
"We were anticipating a rush in people contacting us just after the ban came in, but it actually came before the legislation came in.
"Our advisers set a date with smokers where they work out when the best time is for them, when they are not likely to be stressed out or have a lot on.
"We have advisers all over the county and I think the reason that we are successful is that we make the service accessible.
"Instead of people having to go to a medical setting for a support group, they can go to a group in a pub, a library or a sports centre. And we also offer one-to-one support for people who want that."
Mr Williams said the cost of services designed to help people stop smoking is offset by the advantages of a society whose health is much better in the long term. He said: "When a smoker becomes ill, there is a huge cost to the NHS and so for future health needs and demands on the NHS, it is cost effective."
Almost all businesses in the region are enforcing the smoking ban and a recent survey revealed almost two-thirds of pub landlords support it, despite more than half seeing a drop in trade since July 2007.
Dr Gabriel Scally, regional director of public health at NHS South West, said: "It is encouraging that so many people in the South West have gone smoke-free in the past year. Quitting is not easy, but the support of family and friends can make a real difference to help people to quit smoking for good. You are four times more likely to quit with the help of NHS Stop Smoking Services."
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk

Shisha cafe fined £5,000
Paul R Taylor
A SHISHA café where customers were allowed to flout the smoking ban has been fined £5,000.

The Al Baghdady Café, on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, Manchester, was visited five times by council officers and on each occasion they found people openly smoking the Middle Eastern water pipes.

Its owner Saad Kharufa claimed his café was an Arabic cultural centre and so should be exempt from the ban.

But no such exemption exists under the law.

Mr Kharufa, director of Al Baghdady Café Ltd, had failed to turn up at Manchester magistrates' court after Manchester council brought a prosecution against the business.

The company was found guilty of five counts of failing to prevent smoking in a public place. It was fined £1,000 for each offence and ordered to pay £2,194 in costs - a total of £7,194.

Jim Battle, the council's deputy leader, said: "The smoke-free legislation applies to everyone and the council will not hesitate to prosecute if the law is broken."

Council officers had visited the premises several times before the ban on smoking in enclosed public places was introduced on July 1 last year to ensure Mr Kharufa had been given information about the ban.

He was also invited to a council presentation last May, intended to explain the new smoking regulations to representatives of Manchester's shisha businesses but he did not attend.

When council officers visited the café five times between February and May this year they found people smoking shisha on each occasion.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

German smoking ban declared unconstitutional
By David Snook
The smoking regulations in Germany, which were likely to decimate the country's 75,000 AWP machines located in pubs, has been declared unconstitutional in two key Länder, or states.

There is now a 15-month gap during which the lawmakers must revise the regulations. The German Federal Constitutional Court on July 30 decided that some provisions of the smoking regulations were unconstitutional in Baden-Württemberg and Berlin.

The landmark decision will now be automatically applied to the rest of Germany's 17 Länder. The court had another 13 complaints under the constitutional law to consider and, following the July 30 decision, these can now be decided without hearings.

A small victory for common sense, but the battle goes on
Saturday August 2, 2008
A ruling by a top court in Germany offers some hope to smokers, but it could yet end in tears. Joe Jackson reports.

You may have heard that a couple of days ago, the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany declared smoking bans unconstitutional and ordered them to be partially reversed. Unfortunately this is not quite the case, though the ruling is a provisional victory of sorts.

The situation is this:

(1) The Federal Government conceded the power to ban smoking to the 16 individual States (Lander). They all came up with different laws, which mostly went into effect in January 2008. Most of them, including the city-states of Berlin and Hamburg, allow separate smoking rooms (so long as they are not the ‘main room’). In Bavaria private clubs are exempt, so thousands of venues have just turned into ‘private clubs’.

(2) There has been great resistance to bans – not only bars etc defying the law but some city and state officials saying they won’t enforce it. Enforcement in Berlin has been pretty lax. Nevertheless business has gone down by at least 30% in nonsmoking bars, and unlike in, say, the UK, where the mainstream media and politicians declare the ban a great success even though pubs are going out of business, in Germany everyone seems to know about it. Thousands of customers are going across the borders to Poland or Belgium, where bars still allow smoking. Public opinion also seems to have been on the side of the small bar owners who have been most affected.

(3) A group of small bars, mostly from Berlin, forced a Judicial Review, on the basis that the ban was unfair on bars which were not able to have a separate room. The Constitutional Court has just ruled in their favour. BUT …

THE DOWN SIDE:
(a) The ruling is basically that there should be a ‘level playing field’: either let the small bars allow smoking or have a total ban everywhere. Thus this can be seen as opening the door to an even worse situation later.
(b) The antismoking fascists now have another year and a half to bombard us with propaganda and push for a more comprehensive ban.

THE UP SIDE:
(a) The states now have until the end of 2009 to re-write their laws, and until then, smoking is allowed.
(b) The rights of bar owners and the fact that smoking bans hurt business, have been officially recognised.
(c) It demonstrates that action can make a difference.
(d) We have another year and a half to fight the antismoking fascists.

In the meantime, I’m off to the corner pub for a beer and a fag.

Joe Jackson is a writer and musician
http://www.thefreesociety.org

Alcohol-free hotel bar owner seeks to reverse smoking ban
PADDY CLANCY

THE WOMAN with Ireland's first alcohol-free hotel bar has launched a campaign to reverse the smoking ban in pubs.

Ann Sweeney said the first mission for her one-person New Ireland party is to seek to have luxury smoking rooms attached to pubs.

Ms Sweeney has issued a rallying call to smokers throughout Ireland to get in touch with her at her Carraig Rua hotel in Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal. She plans weekly meetings of supporters and aims to take the issue as far as the European Court if necessary.

She is encouraged by a recent judgment in Germany that partially overturned bans on smoking in bars.

Ms Sweeney reckons that the Irish law that says smoking can only take place in shelters with two sides open to the elements is unconstitutional. She said: "The Irish public thought it was great to get smoking out of pubs and I agree 100 per cent. But I find the Government's double standards fascinating. If it insists on raising revenue with heavy taxes on tobacco products, then there is an obligation that smokers be treated the same as drinkers and proper facilities should be put in place for them."

She said they were entitled to have their own enclosed smoking area, with big crushed velvet couch and leather armchair. She said: "They should not be exposed to the Atlantic gales, which is what happens in Donegal . . . Why can't we have an extractor system in a very comfortable smoking room that would do the same job?"

Ms Sweeney, who also owns a licensed pub, said pub trade in rural Ireland has fallen by two-thirds since the smoking ban.

She formed her New Ireland party after gardaí seized all alcoholic drink in her hotel and pub because of a licence dispute. The drink was returned on a court order and the pub resumed business, but she accepts her hotel must remain alcohol-free until a complication over its drinks licence is resolved.
http://www.irishtimes.com

BATHWICK PUB SHUTS

The licensees of a Bathwick pub have shut it down after their profits slumped following the national ban on smoking.
The tenants of the Castle in Forester Avenue say they are very sad to be leaving the pub, which has been their home for seven years, but claim they had no choice.
Landlord David Skelton and his wife June said their profits had plummeted since the smoking ban last year and their business was no longer profitable.
The pub, which is in a cul-de-sac, does not benefit from passing trade and Mr Skelton said it had not been well supported by the locals.
Mr Skelton said: “We have tried everything to stay here, we have even tried to serve food but we do not have a commercial kitchen and to make all the renovations would cost too much money.
“We have loved living here and are obviously very sad to leave.
“We hope to stay in the city but do not wish to return to the pub industry.
“Of course we feel bad for the handful of really loyal customers but unfortunately we cannot continue with so few loyal people.
“The pub culture in Britain has changed and the smoking ban has hit us terribly.”
The couple, who have run the on their own over the years, have had just one day off since they opened the premises.
And Mr Skelton has also been juggling a second job as an engineer, to supplement the income from the pub.
The Chronicle has been unable to contact the building’s owner.
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk

Losses mount at struggling clubs
Aug 16 2008 By Jenny Waddington

WORKING men's clubs in Coventry have seen a loss in sales since the smoking ban was introduced - leaving many fearing for the future.

According to bosses across the city some clubs have been hit hard by the ban, which was introduced nationwide a year ago.

It is believed that some of the bigger establishments have seen a loss of £2,000 a week.

Kenneth Green, the new secretary of Wyken Working Men's Club, claims that several clubs face the threat of closure.

The 74-year-old from the club in Ansty Road said: "I know a couple of clubs are struggling and could close because of a loss in trade.

"The main cause of this is the smoking ban. Working men's clubs have a lot of customers who have smoked their whole life and they won't come in if they can't smoke.

"We are fortunate that Wyken Working Men's Club is doing well, but some of the bigger clubs have seen a drop in sales of between £1,500 and £2,000 each week.

"It is very sad when a working men's club closes because they are not just somewhere for people to have a pint, they are part of the community."

The claims come after Coventry Working Men's Club - the oldest in the country - closed this month after accumulating £26,000 of debts.

Bosses of the Whitefriars Street building went to the High Court in London in May and persuaded the judge to give them longer to find the cash.

But time ran out and the club closed its doors for the final time on Friday, August 1.

Fred Barnett, secretary of Bell Green Working Men's Club in Roseberry Avenue, added: "The smoking ban has affected some clubs and is causing problems. We are lucky because our customers are sticking with us.

"Unfortunately it is the law and you have to make allowances for a loss in trade."
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net

MP barred for backing smoking ban 
 
Landlord Roger Hantulik has put posters up outside the pub (Pic: MEN)
A Greater Manchester MP has been barred from one of his local pubs for supporting the smoking ban.

Roger Hantulik, landlord of the Prince of Orange in Ashton-under-Lyne, has put up a poster telling Ashton MP David Heyes he is not welcome.

Mr Hantulik said he had lost half his business since the ban came in.

He said: "Heyes agreed with the smoking ban and he has not given us the chance to have a say in the matter. The ban is killing the trade."

However, Mr Heyes did not seem too concerned when told of the ban.

He joked: "That is tragic news. Let me get one thing clear - I have not set foot in the Prince of Orange for eight or nine years."

"The majority of people who I know object to smoky atmospheres in pubs, I would vote for a smoking ban again if I had to."
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Outside smoking banned at pub
By John Harrington

A licensee has been ordered to refuse service to customers who smoke on the street outside her pub.

Back to article list
This message must be carried on signs at the entrance and on street-facing windows as a new condition of the licence at the Horse & Jockey in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

The unusual conditions were imposed at a review, called after a resident asked for the premises licence to be rescinded — and tenant Janis Harmer removed as designated premises supervisor (DPS) — due to noise from within the premises and from smokers outside.

The signs, which must be at least A4 in size, say: “Customers must not smoke on the street outside these premises. Any person failing to observe this condition will be refused further service at the bar upon re-entry.”

The Punch Taverns pub is also banned from using TVs or amplified music outside after 9pm.

Despite the restrictions, Harmer said the council’s decision was “a big relief”, adding, “I thought something would happen to the premises licence or I would be removed [as DPS]. That’s the pressure I was under.”

Harmer said the outdoor smoking ban had had a “marginal” effect on trade. However, she is making it clear that the decision is not hers, but “on the order of the council” according to the signs.

Morning Advertiser legal editor Peter Coulson said the outdoor ban appeared to be “unreasonable, but it’s the kind of condition that can be imposed at a review”.

He said: “The alternative is to go to the magistrates to say this condition is difficult to enforce, so can you think of one that’s more reasonable? But to appeal at the magistrates costs £400, which is a deterrent.”
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk

Irish Republic-Convictions for flouting smoking ban on the rise

CONVICTIONS obtained under the smoking ban have jumped threefold, new figures reveal.

According to the figures, supplied by the Office of Tobacco Control, 16 convictions were obtained in 2004, with this figure hitting 49 in 2007. The smoking ban was brought in by former Health Minister Micheal Martin on March 29, 2004. Similar bans have since been introduced in countries such as Denmark and France.

Last year more than six convictions relating to incidents such as people smoking in front of publicans. Eleven related to people, like bar managers, permitting smoking in non-compliant outdoor smoking areas.

Twenty-nine were for permitting smoking in places such as a bar counter or within a pub or taxi.

There were also two convictions for obstruction and interference with an authorised officer, while another related to the failure to display the required signage.

Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) carry out prosecutions under the Public Health (Tobacco) Act.

There are more than 540 Environmental Health Officers dealing with environmental issues and tobacco control, a number which has not changed significantly since the introduction of the ban.

Fine Gael Health Spokesman, Dr James Reilly, last night branded the increase a "worrying trend".

"It an extremely serious public health issue. There are clearly people prepared to flout the law.

"Those who do this should face the full rigours of the law."

However, a spokesman for the Office of Tobacco Control last night defended the rate of compliance, insisting it was 95pc.
http://www.independent.ie

'We just want a fag with our beer'

Members of Lee Working Men's Club in south-east London were outraged at the ban on smoking at private clubs.


"It's about basic human rights," said Phil Sullivan, 46, an unemployed former environmental services manager for the council. "This is supposed to be a free country, but the words 'nanny state' spring to mind. Who are we disturbing by having a cigarette tucked away here?" He said that the Labour Party had alienated its natural supporters "yet again".

The club secretary, Duncan Hamilton, said 80 per cent of members were smokers, and he expected some might choose to drink elsewhere. "We will have to close," said Mr Hamilton, 62, a Dunhill in one hand, a pint of John Smiths in the other. "It would only take revenue to drop by 5 per cent and that would be it," he said. "Good night, for good."

That would mean an end to £2 pints with the darts, bingo, live bands, afternoon tea dances, pool matches and televised sport throughout the week.

Roger Chappell, 67, a retired decorator puffing his way through a pack of Royals, added: "A ban on smoking by the do-gooders will be another nail in the coffin. [Working men's] clubs are closing all over the place already." He said that MPs should have exempted private clubs as "a special case". Referring to the pub chains, he asked: "Why should we be classified in the same way as the big money people, who have tens of millions to throw at pubs? We're the little working men of the country. We don't make a profit. None of us earn fortunes. We don't have mansions we can invite our friends to. We just want to have a fag with our beer."

Death of the working men's club

They used to guarantee a cheap pint and a good night out but, as more close every month, a bastion of British life is now under threat

By Ian Griggs
Sunday, 10 August 2008

Working men's clubs have been a bastion of the British entertainment scene for 150 years, blooding young comedians and crooners before unforgiving audiences and setting them on the long hard road to stardom or the short cut to obscurity. But now there are fears the clubs themselves are facing an even tougher audience – their creditors.


Fondly lampooned by Peter Kay in the series Phoenix Nights, they are struggling to compete in a world of DVDs, cinema multiplexes and arena concerts – and not even their reputation for a cheap pint is enough of a draw. Last week, one of the oldest working men's clubs in the country brought down the curtain for the last time.

Coventry Working Men's Club first opened its doors in 1862 and enjoys the reputation of being the only such club ever to receive a visit from the Queen, who went there in 1977 as part of her Silver Jubilee celebrations. Now the working men of Coventry will have to go elsewhere for their entertainment, after the club's committee blamed a combination of debts, cheap supermarket booze, the smoking ban and the credit crunch for its demise.

Graham Shields, the club's secretary, went to the High Court in May and persuaded a judge to give it more time to clear its £26,000 debt. But the management was unable to turn its fortunes round