COUNCIL officers lit a fire under smokers with a controversial policy to make them kick the habit.

Plans are being pursued to cut the problem of frequent fag breaks and weed out persistent puffers.

Hyndburn's personnel committee members ordered health officers to rethink proposals to make workers light up in their own time, but said they will still take a tough stance.

Plans to restrict smokers to limited breaks taken in their own time, were deferred as "too bureaucratic".

Committee vice-chairman and occasional cigar smoker, Councillor Bill Pinder, said: "I agree with smokers having to make up the time spent smoking but the regulations put to us were too restrictive.

"I know I wouldn't like it if my boss tried to decide when I needed a cigarette!"

At present council staff and members can smoke in borough buildings but in designated areas.

Pro-smoking organisation FOREST representative, Juliette Wallbridge said in a TV interview that the proposals - which would allow employees to two, ten-minute breaks in a designated room - were "persecution for smokers".

But John Davey, principal environmental health officer and member of the council's Health of the Nation team, said: "The original proposal was a compromise to avoid a complete smoking ban.

"If members do not like our proposals then we will look at making changes. Our aim is to reduce smoking."

Breaking employees' smoking habits is a key element of most local companies' policies.

Pat Rhoden, personnel manager of Presspart Manufacturing, on Whitebirk Industrial Estate, near Rishton, said: "Our employees are not permitted to smoke within the factory gates, including the car park.

"But there is a designated room for smoking."

Hilden textile manufacturing company, in Pickup Street, Oswaldtwistle, has a more controversial policy.

It allows workers employed pre-1993 to smoke in designated rooms during breaks, but employees who joined the company afterwards cannot smoke at all.

Personnel manager David Broadhurst explained: "It is the only way we can stop people smoking at work, but it has to be done gradually.

"During interviews we tell applicants about it and put it in writing before we offer them a job."

Hyndburn Council officers are likely to put revised proposals before the council meeting on February 27.

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