Sark bans smoking in pubs but not offices or churches

Chief Pleas voted 16 to 6 in favour of a ban on smoking in pubs, bars and restaurants

Sark's government has voted to ban smoking in pubs from 1 August.

Conseillers voted in favour of the move by 16 votes to 6 at the mid-summer meeting of Chief Pleas on Wednesday.

The ban will affect pubs, bars and restaurants but islanders will still be able to light up in shops, offices, workshops and places of worship.

Conseiller Paul Armorgie, a member of the island's medical committee, said: "The last thing Sark needs is the nickname 'the ashtray of Europe'."

'Idiosyncratic ways'

He said: "Having a reputation for being the last smokers' paradise is not necessarily the most enviable reputation to have in the world."

"It's the removal of one of Sark's delightfully quirky little idiosyncratic ways but I think you can no longer ignore the international medical evidence."

Chief Pleas also decided to allow £20,000 from the Dame Sibyl Hathaway Trust to be used for the restoration of the chapel at La Seigneurie Gardens.

However it was decided not to allow the site to become a museum, as had been proposed.

Instead it will be used for "charitable purposes" and may be made available for wedding ceremonies.