Publicans slam ‘Taliban health inspectors

GROUPS tasked with implementing the smoking ban in pubs were “zealots” and “liars”, pub owners said yesterday.

Vintners Federation of Ireland president Tadhg O'Sullivan directed his attack at the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), who are holding public meetings on the proposed ban this week.

He said the HSA had told deliberate lies and twisted science to claim that passive smoking known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) affected non-smokers.