Cirencester club UK's first to ban smoking (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cirencester club UK's first to ban smoking

A COTSWOLD nightclub is set to become the first in the country to introduce a blanket ban on smoking.

And Biagio Vitale, who owns The Rock Club in Cirencester, is adamant it will make for a more enjoyable night out and protect the health of his staff. The club, in Bishop's Walk, already operates a no smoking zone in its Sleepwalkers section every Friday and Saturday night.

But Mr Vitale says he is concerned about the amount of staff who fall ill as a direct result of working in the main club, where smoking is currently allowed.

To combat the problem and following the success of the Sleepwalkers initiative, he wants to phase in a blanket ban inside the main section over the next 12 months, although smokers will still be allowed to light up on adjoining balcony areas.

He said: "I have a duty of care to my staff and a lot of them don't smoke. "The main thing that really swayed me was the amount of staff who were off with flu and smoke-related illnesses.

"I'm 100 percent sure that within the next two years all bars and clubs will be generally no smoking, but with designated smoking areas.

"We're just jumping the gun with it - we believe we'll be the first nightclub in the country to introduce the ban."

Mr Vitale says the ban will be introduced gradually so that customers can get used to the changes.

The first stage will involve making the area around The Rock Club bar smoke-free and staff will then start to encourage customers to make their way onto the balconies before lighting up.

He says up to 150 people will be able to smoke on the balconies at any one time.

Mr Vitale added: "I'm sure it will work. If we see someone smoking in the club, we will politely ask them to move onto the balcony."