smokers causing more noise

A fed-up town centre resident says the smoking ban in bars is actually creating greater pollution - from noise.

http://www.suttonobserver.co.uk

The Victoria Road homeowner claimed that the din emanating from the outdoor smoking area at Reflex-RB's last Thursday was as loud as a football terrace."We've had a lot of problems since the smoking ban came in," said Stephanie Langford-Brown, "and it's getting worse.

"Last Thursday there was what sounded like 20 male youths singing at the top of their voice.

"I looked out my window and expected to see a group walking along the street but I couldn't see anybody.

"The amount of noise now coming over McDonald's is greater because they're all outside."

Manager and coordinator of the joint police-licensee Pub Watch scheme Colin Pidgeon said that smokers would gather in the space between McDonald's and his bar on neighbouring Lower Parade.

But he added: "It's not loud there; we don't have any more noise than before the ban."

Mr Pidgeon said that the issue was more likely to be that the complaint pertained to a Thursday; historically a busier trading day than Friday and Saturday, particularly during the summer when students are out of class.

Ms Langford-Brown said that things tended to be worse on Thursdays, with one factor being the absence of the weekend taxi marshalling scheme.

There were ongoing discussions, Mr Pidgeon explained, into how the scheme could be extended.

"In this instance, I think it's likely to be a Thursday meeting the summer students - it's the noise people make on the way home.

"We do our best to remind customers to leave quietly but it's very difficult to control once they're off the premises."

Ms Langford-Brown maintained that the situation had deteriorated since the blanket ban was introduced in July but she said she did not consider it to be the fault of Reflex-RB's.

"But perhaps," she said, "door staff could ask smokers to stop singing when gathered outside."