Workman fined £150 in Canterbury for not displaying 'No Smoking' sign in his own van

A bemused van driver was slapped with a £150 fantastic for failing to show a 'No Smoking' sticker in his automobile. 

Trevor Emery and his son Lee, who each don't smoke, had been fined two occasions greater than if that they had truly been caught smoking of their work van.

The washer repairer was left bewildered by the regulation, which makes it obligatory to show a 'No Smoking' sticker in a van used for enterprise.

Trevor Emery and his son Lee, who each don't smoke, had been fined two occasions greater than if that they had truly been caught smoking of their work van

The washer repairer was left bewildered by the regulation, which makes it obligatory to show a 'No Smoking' sticker in a van used for enterprise

Trevor, 70, was travelling to a job in Canterbury, Kent, when he was slapped with the penalty by a metropolis council warden.

He mentioned: 'We had been utterly oblivious to the regulation.

'I am positive that when you stroll the streets of Canterbury wanting within the home windows of labor vans you will not see most of the stickers.

'Apparently it got here into drive in 2006 however we had not been made conscious of it.

'In fact, if we had recognized then the sticker would have been within the van right away.'

Trevor and Lee, who run their very own home equipment enterprise, Wash Freeze, are the one customers of the van.

Trevor added: 'If we had been truly caught smoking within the van, the fantastic could be simply £50 - that's simply ridiculous.

'Absolutely the most effective factor to do was to present us a good warning and inform us to get a sticker - however that did not occur.

'We had been parked on double yellow traces, which we're allowed to do for unloading, so I believed the officer would convey us up on that.

Trevor and Lee, who run their very own home equipment enterprise, Wash Freeze, are the one customers of the van

'However then he mentioned about this bizarre regulation.

'I used to be anticipating a £30 fantastic or one thing like that, however a bigger one appeared ominous after I requested the officer and he was reluctant to say - the determine he mentioned was simply ridiculous.'

The regulation states that companies should show 'No Smoking' indicators in all workplaces and automobiles.

Fines can attain in extra of £1,000.

Trevor mentioned: 'As I paid the fantastic inside two weeks, it was lowered to £150, however that's nonetheless unfair.

'I appealed however we had been unsuccessful, so now we have now warned others about this regulation.

'Hopefully others will not be caught out - and we undoubtedly will not as a No Smoking sticker was put within the van right away.'

Doug Rattray from Canterbury Metropolis Council mentioned: 'It's an offence to not show a No Smoking check in a automobile that's used for business functions.

'That is the case no matter whether or not somebody is self-employed, the one individual to make use of the automobile or if no one smokes in it.

'We implement this however the stage of fantastic is ready nationally in regulation.

'Mr Emery obtained a fantastic, which he paid, for this offence. He was suggested on the laws and given the right signal.'

A council spokesman confirmed round 50 fines have been issued for the reason that regulation got here into drive. 

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