Cowell lights up in smoke ban hotel

The East Coast Area Health Board has sought assurances from Jurys Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, that it is complying with the workplace smoking ban after a judge from an ITV talent contest was recorded on television smoking in the hotel.

Simon Cowell, a judge on The X-Factor programme, was captured on camera smoking when X-Factor auditions were filmed at the Dublin hotel in July, three months after the smoking ban came into force. While no complaints were received from people in the room at the time, the issue was brought to the attention of the health board after the show was aired last month.

A number of Irish viewers contacted the board to complain, as was reported in the Sunday Tribune. When the footage was shown on ITV the station had blurred out the cigarette in Mr Cowell's hand.

A spokesman for the health board last night confirmed it had contacted the hotel. They had received assurances from Jury's that it was enforcing the ban.

The health board said when Fibber Magee's pub in Galway flouted the smoking ban, environmental health officers were in the premises at the time. Because this was not the case when Mr Cowell was filmed smoking, and because no complaints had been received from those present, taking a prosecution would be more difficult.