We are very disappointed at the overt flouting of the smoking ban going on at a popular entertainment establishment in Spinola Bay, St Julians, and the nonchalance displayed by the police force only a few doors away.

On Friday, April 4, the undersigned were all present at the bar in question where punters were lighting up without resistance from the staff. Needless to say, by the time we left at around 1 a.m. our clothes and hair reeked of stale smoke. Twice during the evening we called the police and both times we were told that they were busy and would deal with it as soon as possible. When we finally gave up and walked past the police station 10 minutes after the second call there were three police officers standing outside having a relaxed chat - not at all the hive of frenetic activity as described to us over the phone! Thus, not only is it a blatant infringement of the laudable smoking ban, but it is also a delay on the police force's behalf to rectify the unlawful situation.

Most of our friends are regulars at this bar, which is why we choose to go there as often as we do. However, we usually have to leave well before the night is over, as there is a limit to how much second-hand smoke a non-smoker can take.

Three of us are currently studying in the UK where the smoking ban was introduced less than a year ago, but one would be hard-pressed to walk into a pub or restaurant and find someone smoking because law enforcement is pretty heavy there, including police warnings and on-the-spot fines.

We understand that bar owners might hesitate stopping punters from smoking as they fear losing clients. Greater police enforcement is therefore a must. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Commissioner of Police.