Surrey licensees face order to clean up fag ends

Licensees in Surrey could be among the first in the country to be ordered to clear up discarded cigarette ends outside their pubs.

Reigate & Banstead Council is threatening to issue control notices forcing hosts to sweep away litter dropped within 100m of their premises.

The council says it may soon use litter control powers, which were extended to licensed premises when the smoking ban was introduced on 1 July.

But licensees insist litter is not an issue and say the vast majority of pubs are voluntarily keeping streets and pavements tidy.

Pubwatch chairman James Gibbs, who runs the Cage Wine Bar in High Street, Reigate, denied there was a problem.

"The council visited pubs and bars to discuss all aspects of the smoking ban before it came into force, but since then we have heard nothing.

"There are not that many pubs which do not have some sort of outside area which smokers can use," he said.

Licensee Tinny Oliver who runs the Bulls Head, Reigate, said she cleaned up twice a day, including an alleyway at the side of her pub. "I think most licensees would want to keep areas outside their pubs neat and tidy," she said.

The council said there had been a problem in a "limited number of cases" and if it continued control notices would be issued.

British Beer & Pub Associa-tion said it was unaware of any council that had actually used the new control orders.

The BBPA, in common with other trade bodies, heavily criticised the government's plans to extend the orders to pubs, clubs and restaurants, when they were first announced last year.