Smokers flouting ban outside Dorset hospital
Von buycigarettes, 17.09.2012, 15:47
No smoking signs outside Dorset County Hospital are being ignored, forcing patients and visitors to walk through clouds of smoke and discarded cigarette butts. Speaking to DorsetEcho.co.uk, Elaine Cheeseman, from Weymouth, said that the scene outside the facility was "awful".
Ms Cheeseman was visiting a friend at the hospital and told the source that "it smells and looks disgusting". In 2006 smoking in the grounds of the hospital was banned, however it is reported that the rules are often being flouted.
"I'm an ex-smoker myself, and I know for a lot of people it's an everyday part of their life. Stopping is not just switching out a light, and I'm aware that if patients are facing illnesses, they may want to smoke. You can't deprive them of that," she added.
Ms Cheeseman told the newspaper that if smoking is not going to be controlled properly outside the hospital then cigarette and litter bins should be returned in order to tidy the area up. Letterkenny General Hospital has also introduced a ban on smoking anywhere in its grounds, with visitors and patients being told to use the pavement outside of the facility.
