Ulster Farmers Union in row with council over man smoking in tractor

A man smoking a cigarette, while sitting in the cab of a tractor parked off the road at a filling station, has sparked a fuming row in the north between the Ulster Farmers Union and a local authority.

The UFU said a notice served on the tractor owner by Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, claims a man was “observed” by an official smoking in a commercial vehicle capable of “carrying more than one person”.

This was deemed to break smoking in the workplace regulations — and the owner, who is also a contractor, was ordered to give the name of the person smoking, or face a fine of up to £1,000.