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June 27, 2007
A toast to extraterritoriality!
The British House of Commons passed a ban on smoking in pubs, clubs and restaurants last year. It becomes effective next week -- except for the Wellington Arms.
Pub landlord fights smoke ban by declaring his boozer an embassy
By LUKE SALKELD
Last updated at 20:19pm on 26th June 2007For pub-goers who enjoy a cigarette with their drink, next week's ban will make England a very different place.
So one landlord has claims to have found a loophole to fight the new law - by declaring his pub to be part of a different country.
The Wellington Arms in Southampton is set to transform itself from a public house into the official embassy for a tiny Caribbean island.
If it is successful, the pub would be classified as "foreign soil", allowing smokers a haven from the smoking laws covering the rest of the UK.
In theory it would then also be allowed to serve cheaper drinks because the pub would be exempt from VAT.
Earlier this month, the pub was named as the official consulate in Britain for the island of Redonda, which lies 35 miles south west of Antigua in the Caribbean.
Via.
Posted by joke du jour at June 27, 2007 07:31 PM
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