Village may ban smoking in public
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Stony Stratford, population 12,000 and styling itself the "Jewel of Milton Keynes", could become the first town in Britain to ban smoking in the street.
A campaign has been launched to give community police the power to issue on-the-spot fines for those who light up in public. It follows the decision in New York to ban smoking in public parks.
The proposal has won backing from some members of the town council, including Paul Bartlett who asked: "Why should people have the freedom to smoke in my face, pass on diseases and spoil the environment?"
The demand came as the British Medical Association voted at its conference to ban smoking in cars with children inside. Douglas Noble, a public-health expert, said: "In cars, particle concentrations are 27 times higher than in a smoker's home. It would be safer to have your exhaust pipe on the inside of your car than smoke cigarettes, in terms of fine particular matter released."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments