Smoking Embassy
A UK landlord tried to escape the smoking ban by turning his bar into an embassy for a remote Caribbean island.
Bob Beech hoped the Wellington Arms in Southampton would be the only pub to allow smoking after this weekend - because it is the UK base for uninhabited Redonda.
The embassy would be classed as "foreign soil" - meaning the smoking ban would not apply - and he could also sell VAT-free cheap drinks.
Bob said: "I have a legal team looking into the legalities at the moment but I am confident." The Department of Health admitted: "The smoke-free law will not be enforceable against premises that have diplomatic status." Unfortunately Beech’s application failed as Redonda was deemed too small to merit an embassy.
© bangshowbiz.biz
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