A SUGGESTION that smoking should be banned in the colonnades around Tavistock Pannier Market sparked outrage during a meeting in the town last week. Members of the town council's properties committee heard that an environmental health officer had notified council staff that the colonnades around the market could fall into the definition of a building, under the terms of new smoking regulations brought into force on July 1. From that date, it became illegal to smoke in any enclosed or substantially enclosed premises that are open to the public, including pubs, restaurants and all places of work. The committee heard the colonnades were roofed, and closed on three sides, and therefore could meet this definition. Cllr Brian Trew said he was stagged by such a suggestion. He said: 'I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life — it's totally absurd. I hate smoking, but as far as my interpretation of the regulation is concerned, they can carry on smoking there. It's totally absurd —how big does a place have to be before it's enclosed? This is the sort of thing that brings health and safety issues into disrepute. My view is, let them carry on smoking.' Town clerk Roger Howard told the committee that as the licensing body, the borough council could bring the town council, which owns the pannier market, to court over the issue. 'How likely this is, I don't know,' he said. Cllr Debo Sellis said: 'As an ex-smoker, and poacher turned gamekeeper, I find smoking quite offensive when I'm walking around. I can see both sides, but we are leaving ourselves potentially open to legal action — there is a smoking ban — where do we draw the line? We do want commonsense to prevail, but this is a tricky one.' Cllr Sellis said she thought such a ban would be difficult to police and the council, if it banned smoking in the colonnades, would be seen as being 'miserable-ist'. Works superintendent Wayne Southall said the issue had come up recently when a health and safety official had visited the pannier market and mentioned that a number of complaints had been made about smoking outside the market. Mr Southall said: 'Their exact words were "the colonnades are a grey area" — it's something West Devon are aware of.' Cllr Mandy Govier said: 'Speaking personally, I have never smoked, but I can't see how it's right that they can smoke outside shop doorways, but they can't smoke in the market perimeter.' The committee heard that if smoking was banned completely in the colonnades, it might have a detrimental affect on Duke's Café, where customers were able to smoke outside. Town clerk Roger Howard said the café proprietor had already divided the outside tables, so people who wished to smoke could only do so in one area. The committee agreed no action would be taken regarding smoking in the colonnades — the decision was due to be ratified at Tuesday's full council meeting.