by Rachel Barrows, Flintshire Chronicle

LICENSING chiefs are demanding pub bosses take legal responsibility for customers smoking outside their premises.

At a meeting of Flintshire County Council’s Licensing Committee, members voted to amend the county’s licensing policy to ensure licensees supervise those smoking outside their pubs.

The council says that since the smoking ban came into effect, pub goers congregating outside premises have been making excessive noise, causing a disturbance and dropping cigarette butts.

Licensing officer Mike Lovatt, said: “Since Flintshire went smoke free there has been a significant increase in the number of patrons gathering outside licensed premises, leading to noise disturbance issues.

“Those in charge of the premises should be in charge of customers outside as well as inside.”

The council’s licensing department identified 31 Flintshire pubs where smokers gathering outside were creating noise and litter problems.

Chairman of Flintshire County Council Licensing Committee, Cllr Tony Sharps, said: “It is a contentious issue. The smoking ban has fundamentally changed the way a licensed premises operates.

“People congregating outside pubs are becoming more of a nuisance as time goes on. It has become very humiliating for people having to walk through these crowds of smokers.”

Thousands of metal-lined pouches have been handed out to pub landlords so customers can dispose of their cigarette butts.

Cllr Alex Aldridge said: “I have no wish to demonise the smoking fraternity. There should be more bins outside. There are more smokers in Europe, but they never seem to have the same problems with litter.”

It was also decided at the meeting that Flintshire’s licensing policy would allow designated premises supervisors to be responsible for only one licensed premises at a time.

Cllr Matt Wright asked the committee if anything could be done about the increase in binge drinking and anti-social behaviour in the county, but members resolved to allow the police to deal with the problem.

The amendments to the council’s licensing policy will be voted on at the next full council meeting.

If approved, the new policy would be adopted on January 1, 2008, for three years.

Originally posted 2007-11-29 10:12:20.