A CAMPAIGNER is planning to open a pro-smoking shop in Kendal to support his bid to get the law changed.

Steven Simon hopes to obtain a lease for a small unit in the town to sell T-shirts promoting his campaign while offering a place for smokers to meet and chat.

Funds raised would be used in his drive to urge the Government to overturn the smoking ban.

Mr Simon said smoking generated £17 billion for the economy and wants pubs to be able to offer ‘smoking rooms’ so people do not have to go outside to light up.

Slogans on the T-shirts would include ‘l would rather be a smoker than a fascist’.

“The smoking ban has to be amended because it is achieving nothing,” said Mr Simon.

“Give us an area inside — why should I accept that I am forced outside in winter to smoke?”

The property consultant from Leeds said while the loss of some Kendal pubs was related to drink prices, the smoking ban has also had an effect.

He is moving to the Lake District and chose Kendal as a place to launch the ‘shop’ as he feels he will get a greater response than in a city.

“In Germany and Holland, they have overturned the ban. I don’t know why we can’t in this country.

“I respect non-smokers and I don’t want to inflict my smoke on them, but I feel the victimisation of smokers has gone too far.”

Mr Simon said the smoking ban was based on ‘a pack of lies’ and the theories about passive smoking were myths.

“Roy Castle is always brought up in the theory that people die from inhaling other people’s smoke, but he smoked cigars,” he said.

“We are in harsh economic times, people are worried about their jobs and feeding the family and smoking is one of the last remaining pleasures for the working man.”

Mr Simon said he was ‘angry’ about suggestions to expand the smoking ban into public parks and motor vehicles.

“Recent talk of banning smoking in your own car pushed me over the edge — how dare they tell me what to do in my own car? We British don’t fight enough — we just keel over and accept it.

“If we don’t put a stop to it, we’re going to go down the American route where you can’t smoke in parks.”

A spokesman for NHS Cumbria said it ‘respected everyone’s right to freedom of speech’.

Su Sear, public health partnership specialist, said: “For many people smoking is a lifestyle decision, but it is important that any smoker is aware of the impact smoking has on their health.”