SMOKERS in some Manchester clubs claim they are being hit with a £1 charge to nip out for a quick cigarette.

They say they now have to buy a wristband if they want to leave two clubs in Manchester's Gay Village to have a smoke, due to the new anti-smoking legislation.

Essential club, in Minshull Street, says it sells the wristbands to any customers who want to leave and then re-enter and the charge is not specifically targeted at smokers. And nearby Cruz 101 also applies a similar policy.

But graphic designer Benito Hepton, 20, a regular at Essential, said: "I don't agree we should be paying just for the privilege of having a cigarette.

"We have to queue to buy a wrist band and sometimes even queue to get back in, it's really annoying. And having paid a £9 or £10 entrance fee already it's an extra and unfair cost to your night out."

Another 39-year-old smoker who fell foul of the policy at Essential said: "I fully understand the new rule that stops you from smoking indoors. People who don't smoke may not want it in their faces.

"But smokers shouldn't have to pay to go outside. I don't think it's a fair policy."

Essential

The clubber added: "Smoking is essential for some people. Toilets are essential too, but a club wouldn't move the toilets outside and then charge people for using them would it?"

Since July 1, smoking has been banned in all indoor public spaces in England.

A spokesman for Essential said it was surprised anyone had raised the issue over the £1 passes because the club had received no complaints.

He said: "We have charged for pass-out bands for over seven years. They enable the customer to go in and out as many times as they like and, as the club is open 11pm to 8am, that is potentially a lot of times."

Paul Tuck, assistant manager at Cruz 101, confirmed it also charges customers £1 for a pass out. He said: "Most clubs in the Village do the same. It's a charge that's always been there, but a lot more people are discovering it now because of the smoking ban. It applies to everyone, not just to smokers."

Other clubs across Manchester, such as Tiger Tiger at the Printworks and Jabez Clegg off Oxford Road, adopt a similar pass-out policy, but do not charge customers.

Phil Burke, a spokesman for the Manchester Pub and Club Network and chairman of the Village Business Association, said clubs and pubs across the country faced a dilemma over what to do with smokers, amid concerns over security issues and people loitering in the streets.

He added: "I would support the decision of any establishment to charge or not to charge its customers. It's up to the discretion of the owners."

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