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Smoke case on back burner
SMOKE ban rebel Dave West was in Westminster Magistrates’ court on Tuesday charged with flouting the new law.
The owner of HeyJo club Mr West, reportedly worth £100 million, and designated premises supervisor Mark Fraher have both been charged by Westminster Council with failing to display no smoking signs and failing to advise customers to stop smoking.
The hearing was adjourned until March.
HeyJo announced in July it had recruited the services of Cherie Blair, QC, to fight the smoking ban in the European Court of Human Rights.
Undercover environmental health officers visited the club and restaurant before the summons was served.
Harry Barnett, club executive, said: “This law is supposed to be about the dangers of staff in smoking environments yet Westminster Council is sending their troops into danger zones without masks.”
Mr Barnett also believes it is unfair of Westminster to serve Mr Fraher with a summons as he does not decide on club policy.
Mr Barnett added: “It seems strange that instead of a quick coffee and then get out of this dangerous place, they decided to make a night of it.”
A spokesman for the council said: “We did send undercover environmental health officers in and they did have a meal. If they did not have food in a restaurant they would have looked very suspicious.” |
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