JUST 21 people have been prosecuted for flouting the public places smoking ban in Gwent over the past five years.

Today marks the fifth birthday of the ban on smoking in public places being implemented and during that time only one out of the five local authorities in Gwent has brought prosecutions.

The Argus asked the councils in Newport, Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly, how many fixed penalties and prosecutions related to smoking had they imposed over the past five years.

Newport imposed a total of 132 fixed penalty notices between April 1 2007 and December 31 2011 and brought 21 prosecutions, which resulted in fines totalling £1,445.

Torfaen council issued 43 fixed penalty notices since the smoking ban began and Caerphilly issued 17.

Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire councils both said they had no prosecutions or fixed penalties issued.

The smoking ban was introduced on April 2, 2007, banning people from smoking in enclosed public places. Those caught flouting the ban can face a £50 fixed penalty and also be taken to court if they fail to pay the fine. Pubs, clubs and other premises not displaying no smoking signs could also be prosecuted under the legislation.

In March, Aneurin Bevan Health Board banned smoking from all hospital grounds. Shelters where patients, visitors and staff could smoke at the area’s three main hospitals – the Royal Gwent, St Woolos and Nevill Hall – were ripped out to mark national No Smoking Day on March 14.

Health bosses see the move in terms of a wider battle to reduce the impact of smoking on health, and talk of supporting patients and staff in giving up smoking if they wish.

Anti-smoking charity ASH Wales is calling on all Welsh local authorities to extend the smoking ban to playgrounds. Figures obtained by the charity show that only two out of Wales' 22 local authorities has such a ban - Caerphilly and Powys.


EDITORIAL COMMENT: Timely ban has paid off

IT IS hard to believe that five years have passed since the introduction of a ban on smoking in public places.

But it is interesting to note that what was considered such a controversial move at the start has actually not taken long to become the accepted norm.

As our article today illustrates, in the past five years the number of fixed penalty notices handed out to those flouting the ban has remained resolutely low.

Even lower still is the number of people prosecuted, with just 21 cases reaching court.

This may of course be down to the lack of any real enforcement of the rule.

However,we feel it is far more likely to be down to the fact that the ban was timely.

While there are some who would still argue that banning smoking in pubs and clubs for instance, was a step too far.

There is in our view a much bigger majority who would argue that this has been a good move all round.

There is no getting away from the fact that for the non-smoker, going into a pub, club or restaurant is now a much more pleasurable experience.

For smokers themselves the ban has in some ways reduced the opportunity to light up which, given the well-documented health risks of smoking, is probably no bad thing either.

We also feel that the time is now right for the ban to perhaps be expanded.

The Anuerin Bevan Health Board recently banned smoking from all hospital grounds, knocking down the shelters where patients, visitors and staff could smoke at the area’s three main hospitals.

While some staff may balk at the thought of working a full shift without easy access to a smoking shelter, for the four fifths of the population who don't smoke, it is an eminently sensible move.

It always seemed incongruous to us to see a group of smokers outside one of our busiest hospital entrances.

Now there are calls by some to ban smoking from play areas, which seems a logical step.

This would be nigh on impossible to enforce. But in our view it is worth a try.

For a long time smoking was just accepted despite the obvious health risks.

Now perhaps the time is right to really get the message across that where non-smokers and particularly children are likely to be present, to light up a cigarette is akin to anti-social behaviour.