Just two owners of separate band clubs have been charged for allowing people to smoke inside public places during September.

Legal action is also being initiated against two patrons who were spotted smoking within these establishments. In its periodic report, the Health Inspectorate said one of these people was also charged with obstructing a public officer from carrying out his duties and for failing to give the requested information.

Last August, the Health Directorate reported that out of a total of 17 contraventions, seven were issued for smoking inside a public place.

In its latest report, 17 contraventions were issued, which included keeping food in risk of contamination, failing to provide pest control measures and failing to provide an adequate wash hand basin.

The report looked into several aspects of health, noting that 16.9kg of foodstuffs were destroyed, including 5.1kg of meat and 11.8kg of fish.

A total of 463 improvement notices to food business operators were issued following unannounced inspections by Environmental Health Officers.

Five adverts involving tobacco products were found to be in breach of the Tobacco Act, while four adverts for tattoo equipment were in contravention of the Control of Tattooing Act.

Of the 328 complaints received by the inspectorate, 120 related to pest infestation, followed by infiltrations, accumulation of refuse and drainage overflow.

Twenty complaints referred to the keeping of animals in unhygienic conditions.

On a more positive note, 87 official swimming sites across the island have been declared of excellent quality by the Health Directorate.

It took 318 samples of sea water from these areas and analysed them in a monitoring programme carried out according to European regulations.