Protest against town smoking ban

16 July 2011 Last updated at 19:07 GMT UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the ban could be the "final nail in the coffin" for Stony Stratford's pubs About 200 people have attended a protest against plans to ban smoking in open places in a Buckinghamshire town, according to organisers.

Councillor Paul Bartlett has proposed a new by-law to outlaw smoking in any public place in Stony Stratford.

Among those who spoke against the ban was UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who said it could stop people coming to the town, affecting local businesses.

Town councillors will be voting on the proposal on Tuesday.

If the plan is approved, smokers who light up in public in Stony Stratford could face on-the-spot fines.

Mr Bartlett has said the town, near Milton Keynes, is "blighted by cigarette butts".

Some local publicans have said a total ban on smoking would have a huge impact on their trade and Mr Farage, who is an MEP for Buckinghamshire, echoed their views in a meeting at the Vaults Bar in the town.

He said: "We have already seen the horrific impact the smoking ban has had to the pub trade which has resulted in hundreds of pubs across the UK shutting down.

"If this new proposal in Stony goes through it will mean no more 'popping out for a smoke'.

"I have been listening to the concerns from the local business community and they believe that this will have a negative impact on the place.

"For local pubs it could well be the final nail in their coffin. For other businesses they feel people will simply stop coming to Stony."

The meeting was followed by a "mass light up" by smokers opposed to the proposed ban.

If Stony Stratford Town Council votes in favour of the scheme at Tuesday's meeting it would have to ask Milton Keynes Council to use its powers to introduce the necessary by-law.

If implemented, the ban would be enforced by police community support officers.

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Wheelchair protest police cleared

27 May 2011 Last updated at 18:43 GMT Jody McIntyre (centre) said he was hit with a baton and dragged across a road in central London Police were justified in removing a man from his wheelchair during a violent demonstration against tuition fees in central London, Scotland Yard has said.

Jody McIntyre said he was tipped out of his chair and dragged across a road on 9 December, and was hit with a baton.

A police probe found officers were right to remove him from the wheelchair based on the "perceived risk" to him, while the baton hit was "inadvertent".

The 20-year-old said the findings were "shockingly poor" and plans to appeal.

The Directorate of Professional Standards at the Metropolitan Police (Met) said violent disorder had been taking place and officers were "under sustained attack and were required to use force to protect themselves".

"Whilst there is evidence that Jody McIntyre was inadvertently struck with a police baton, the investigation found that the actions of officers were justifiable and lawful given the volatile and dangerous situation," the force added in a statement.

"His removal from his wheelchair was also justifiable given the officers' perceived risk to Jody McIntyre."

'Telling' findings

But Mr McIntyre said he found it "stunning that their justification for their violence towards me is that I was in the way of a violent attack on a crowd of protesters, which included children".

"Remarkably, the report even contains the suggestion that I threw myself from my wheelchair," he added.

"Throughout the report the police officers involved have stated that they were acting in my best interests, and this appears to have been accepted by those carrying out the investigation."

It was a "telling indication" of how the Met viewed disability, he said.

The force appeared to believe that "the fact someone has a disability renders them incapable of determining their own best interest or to act with autonomy", he said.

Following the investigation, internal guidelines will be drawn up on the most appropriate way to move a wheelchair user in such circumstances.

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