Anti-smoking agency PHE tells own smoking staff to 'have more respect'

 

© London Intelligence 2018

© London Intelligence 2018

Public Health England says its 'single aim is to motivate millions of people to make changes that will improve their health' – and that includes persuading people to quit smoking.

However, PHE, an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, might need to persuade more of its own staff to quit too. 

London Intelligence photographs taken on Thursday 12 April show how PHE staff routinely drop cigarette butts on to the pavement outside the gates of the agency's imposing site on Colindale Avenue, a busy pedestrian and residential thoroughfare in north London. 

These butts pile up beneath an empty butt bin.  

Apologise

Staff also heap stubbed butts on top of a Barnet Council rubbish bin right outside the PHE site’s gates. Cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour is also puffed over passers-by.

A PHE spokesperson said on Friday (13 April): “The cigarette butt litter is completely unacceptable and we sincerely apologise to local residents. 

"We have cleaned it up and reminded our colleagues to have more respect for the area.

"We are committed to playing our part in driving down smoking rates and this includes motivating our own staff who smoke to quit."

Note: PHE reports smoking kills 79,000 people in England every year. For each death, a further 20 smokers suffer from a smoking-related disease. 

© London Intelligence 2018

© London Intelligence, April 2018.

-->