Six riot police officers wearing protective gear stormed his local pub, after John Vaughan lit up a cigarette in protest at the TV being switched from the cricket to the football

Reader views (30)

 Add your view

Here's a sample of the latest views published.

how can you possibly say that the riot squad should have been doing something else.

a panic button was pressed and they were instantly deployed without information about the incident. they just came.

imagine if it had been a murder and they hadnt come because you had said they should have been doing something else.

- Luke Fuller, Watford uk.

Typical of modern Britain really...this country is really becoming an absolute joke. Riot police are called because a man lights ...horror of horrors... a cigarette in a pub . However, people are getting robbed, murdered etc and the cops do absolutely nothing [claiming that they 'don't have enough resources', that it would be 'politically incorrect' to do anything etc].

Surely these police stormtroopers would be better deployed dealing with an actual riot/fight elsewhere rather than some otherwise innocent man smoking a single cigarette [and before anyone goes on about 'passive smoking' -the risks are negligable at most, just think about the amount of pollutants you breathe in crossing a busy road... much worse than a few wisps of tobacco smoke in a pub].

This country is becoming a complete joke. As other posts have said, the puritanical over-zealous bar staff should be prosecuted for wasting police time. It would be an easy target for the police - pretty much like sending 6 riot police to deal with a solitary man who is smoking.

To be honest, the smoking ban is one of the nastiest, totalitarian pieces of legislation that has been introduced by our killjoy government and I think that this brave man should be given a medal for actually doing what most of us secretly want to do.

- Chris, Aberystwyth, Wales

People have freedom of choice, something that is being denied to smokers in Britain. To suggest banning smoking outside as well is stupid and bears out nanny state beliefs.

- Ac, London, UK

Can we get anymore stupid than this. This government has to give up this no smoking ban, it does not help anyone, shame on them.

- Tug Wilson, Notts, England

I agree with most of the comments here that state how pathetic the police are these days. I certainly have no respect for them. If you see one around your area, it is usually a Community officer who is next to useless or a 'proper' police officer in a car parked up on an estate waiting to catch people on a mobile, eating, smoking or not wearing a seat belt. Easy, relatively safe targets. Well, we can't expect our police to themselves in the line of danger, what would the Health & Safety Executive have to say about that?

As for the comment regarding SHS being more dangerous than the smoke inhaled by the smoker - utter rubbish. If, however you want to believe that, then your major concern should be for the toxins pumped out by vehicles on our roads. These toxins get into homes, shops, pubs, clubs, anywhere there is a door or window that opens. These are far more likely to kill you than a whiff of ciggie smoke!

- Lyn Ladds, Worcestershire UK

Marianne, you wrote: "The police have a responsibility to enforce this democratic ban. "

Wrong on both counts. It is NOT the responsibility of the Police to enforce the ban, the ultimate responsibility is with the Councils.

More importantly the ban is NOT democratic. Never mind the fact that the party that runs this country does so with only 40% of the vote, the same party had an election manifesto which provided a partial smoking ban (allowing pubs and private members clubs to have the 'freedom to choose' whether to be smoking or non-smoking. Subsequent public opinion surveys supported this yet the government still railroaded this through. Democratic my backside! Get your facts right! (and that includes the first one about the dangers of passive smoking which has clearly not been proven - and yes I have read most of the studies...)

- Craig, Sale,UK

Marianne of SW France, how on earth can you claim that passive smoke contains MORE toxins than originally inhaled by the active smoker? That would imply that the smoker is actually producing toxins and emitting them along with the smoke which has already lost some of its potency in the smokers lungs?

- Doug, Windsor, UK

At least twelve million people smoke in the UK, and we are all being
pushed around by the government. With one quarter of the adult population being smokers a law banning smoking anywhere in any enclosed public space is unfairly discriminating against people that choose to smoke. There are plenty of alternatives to an outright ban.

- Nick, UK

Our Police force are a laughing stock!

- Brian, Wiltshire

Whoever pushed the "panic button" to summon the police is a fool.

- Carol, London U.K

A "harmless pleasure", John H Baker? It has been scientifically proved that passive tobacco contains even more toxins than inhaled by a smoker - and is therefore particularly dangerous to people in the vicinity. The police have a responsibility to enforce this democratic ban. I support them 100%.

- Marianne, SW France

The Police are clearly not at fault here as enforcement of the 2006 Health ACT is the job of Enforcement Officers and not the Police.
The staff of The Copper Pot were entirely correct not to approach Mr Vaughan because a lit cigarette is a fire hazard. Without the correct clothing and training they could be harmed as there is no "safe" level of exposure to smoke and smokers alike. A recent study shows a causal link between smoking and spontaneous human combustion (of the smoker) and therefore there must be some small affect for non-smokers too.
Where the staff went wrong was that they should have called the Council Enforcement Officers who have been trained to deal with the very worrying upward trend of smoking under roofs. I believe the Government should act now to make sure all pubs always call for Enforcement Officers whenever a smoker lights up either inside or outside a pub because we clearly can not rely on the Ovine compliance of smokers in this matter.

- Fredrik Eich, London

Why couldn't the staff have just left the cricket on for another few minutes, esp as the football wasn't even on at that point and saved all this bother?

- S-M Hearmon, London, UK

I hope apathetic smokers come to their senses and smoke ANYWHERE this stupid, draconian ban says they can't. It's time to fight back against these anti-smoking fascists!

- John H Baker, Middlesbrough, Cleveland

Shows what a ridiculous country we have become when one of the posters on this thread think it was the smoker who wasted the police time. The reaction response was ridiculous and the law is a bad one generated to placate the demands of fanatics and lunatics who have no sense and depend on junk science to support their cause. In normal times, "adults" would work out their own rational and balanced accommodations.

Ah yes, makes me think of John of Gaunt's speech from Richard II. You know the one that describes England as:

"This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea...

Hmm, that was on another planet for today England is peopled by fools.

- John Gray, Chester

Murders, Rapes, Robberies, Burglaries etc etc and you might ( if you're lucky ) get a Police response, but light up in a pub and the Riot Squad arrive. This country has gone mad and is ruled by thick politicians that have been fooled by the lies about the dangers of second hand smoke produced by the anti-smoking members of ASH etc. This Smoking Ban Experiment has resulted in the division of society in the UK and should be binned along with the politicians who voted for it.

- Eddie, Scotland

It was the idiot who lit up the cigarette that wasted police time. Once the panic button was hit the police would have had to assume that they were being summoned to a fight, possible between a large group of people. If the staff allowed they guy to keep smoking they themselves would have faced a hefty fine. If Vaughan wants to behave like a spoiled child he should be treated like one.

- Marcus, London

The riot police were a bit over the top - but the police should have been called. What else could the staff do it's against the law, the customer refused to stop and the pub could have been fined? If he had of been physically thrown out then they would have been breaking the law I hope he is banned for life and charged with wasting police time as well.

- Janine, London

It seems that all you have to do to get the police's attention is to tell them that someone is smoking illegally. What have we come to in this country.

- Davea, London

Let's try and piece this together. Cricket gets turned off by staff - punter decides to protest by having a fag, staff call police, police turn up and find it amusing.

So it then becomes the fault of the Police and the Government than daft pub staff and a sad nicotine addict are unable to reach an adult agreement?

I don't believe a word of it.

- Lilly, London

The police in Britain are such a big joke. They never tackle real criminals. They interrogated a priest for commenting on hijabs and attack this man because he lit up. In the meantime, more kids were stabbed over the weekend and nothing is done about it. Pathetic Police!

- Anthony, London

Why did staff press the "panic button" just because a guy lit a cigarette? Their actions and the reactions of the riot police were totally over the top and it's about time smokers fought back!

- Nobanjan, Manchester

Will the Police make sure they don't waste resources like this again?
The pub should be prosecuted for wasting Police time.

If the whole pub trade had fought against the ban, this incident would never have happened.

Good on you John- keep up the fight against the nanny state.

- Andy, UK

Gestapo tactics for a law that was borrowed from the Nazi's to put us all under the jackboot for employing a harmless (only to him) pleasure!


- John H Baker, Middlesbrough, Cleveland

John Vaughan is fortunate that police here don't carry guns - he could have been shot for such a serious terrible crime. Shooting smokers on the spot would, however, reduce the amount of serious criminals in this country! Sorry - don't want to give anyone any ideas.

- Jenbob, Knaresborough, N. Yorks

Wow what another waste of money... I guess it will be in the Nu Labour crime statistics under "Solved" though!

- Stephen, London

"The cricket was reaching its thrilling conclusion."
Somewhat of a contradiction in terms there methinks.

- Trevor Roll, London

How is smoking a "protest"?

- Dorothy, London, UK

Shame they do not come out at night when you phone them to say you spotted a mugger or burglar.

- Georgie, Islington, London

I wonder if they would have reacted so quickly if the publican had phoned the police to say he was being burgled.

- Marc, Harrow, UK

Add your comment