Email received over the weekend:
I have been a smoker for nearly 50 years now. My wife does not smoke, so up until recently I have smoked in my garden for years. I have been living in the same house for 35 years.
Up until about a month ago I had no idea I offended my next door neighbour with smoking outside (neighbours for eight or nine years who have regular log fires in the winter). It started with the odd comment that was obviously intended for me to hear and then something else happened, and I won’t go into details, that was done to show their annoyance and frightened me a bit. I am now really concerned as smoking is described by some as anti social.
Can smoking cigarettes/tobacco in your own home or garden considered to be anti social behaviour? My garden is about 30 yards long and even smoking right at the end wouldn’t make any difference. When I want a cigarette now I go to a large garden shed towards the back of my garden with door and window shut – but again I’m not sure that has made any difference.
I am not the type that wants to deliberately cause offence to anyone. In normal circumstances I would talk to them about it but after the incident of showing their annoyance I am not sure that would be wise. I am afraid I live in a much less tolerant society in recent years.
I responded as follows:
Dear xxxx,
Thank you for your email. I would suggest this is an entirely subjective opinion. There is no law against smoking in your garden and – speaking as a non-smoker – I would be astounded someone accused you of being anti-social.
It is true however we live in a much more intolerant age and I suppose it depends on whether clouds of smoke are drifting into a neighbour's garden. In my experience that seems unlikely but government policy on smoking has undoubtedly resulted in more people becoming intolerant of any level of tobacco smoke.
You don't explain what the 'something else happened' was but if you have had a falling out with your neighbours they could perhaps be looking for any little thing to complain about.
I'm afraid I can't offer advice. This seems to be something that ought to be resolved with a little common sense on both sides. Are you speaking to them at all at the moment? It would be a pity if the situation got worse because it's not nice to fall out with your neighbours but – without knowing all the circumstances – I find it hard to believe you are doing anything wrong by smoking in your own garden.
Comments welcome.
PS. The Guardian reports 'Victoria to ban smoking in all outdoor dining areas'.
It's pretty clear that smoking outside is the next battlefield, whether that be parks, beaches or outdoor dining/drinking areas.
The more smoking is banned outside, on the spurious grounds of passive smoking and the alleged danger to other people's health, the more "anti social" it will become, in some people's eyes.
This issue has to be addressed now because once momentum builds it will be very difficult to stop.