Dartmouth Town Council has overturned a controversial ban on smoking at a historic market after months of debate.

To the delight of a handful of market tenants present in the audience, smoking is now allowed at Dartmouth Old Market.

It was a close vote on Monday, November 4, at the full council meeting, with tensions high and views split.

Seven voted in favour of binning the ban, with six against and two abstentions.

Smoking will remain banned under the roofed ‘butter market’ stretching from the public toilets down to the fishmongers.

The vote went against the corporate property committee’s recent decision to keep the ban in place.

Cllr Dawn Shepherd began discussions, claiming the previous council made the “rushed” decision to ban smoking “with no thought for the impact it would have on traders”, and asked her fellow councillors to vote tonight with them in mind.

She added: “They try hard enough to make a living and we shouldn’t be interfering with that.”

Views of support continued, with Cllr Richard Rendle making the proposal that smoking should remain banned under the butter-walk where food is served but be lifted everywhere else.

His reasons for this were, he says, because the town champions alfresco dining which should allow for customers to smoke whilst enjoying the cafes.

He echoed sympathies for the market tenants, who, when consulted earlier this year voted in favour of ridding the ban, and estimated that they’ve lost 20 per cent of their trade since the ban was put in place.

Cllr Graham Evans asked about whether the ban would affect the larger events held in the market, but said he was prepared to second Cllr Rendle’s proposal to only ban it under the roofed food market.

With a strongly opposing view, Cllr Tessa de Galleani said smoking was never allowed under the butter market.

She said the law clearly states people at work should be protected from second-hand smoke, and that the town council should follow in the footsteps of SHDC and ban it on site.

Voicing his disagreements with the way was handled throughout discussions, Cllr Adam Edsall said he wanted to make it clear that the law is in fact unclear.

Cllr Ged Yardy was against lifting the ban: “I’m going to speak to retain the ban from a health and wellbeing perspective.

“If we do have people working in there, let’s say who has lung cancer, what proof do we have that we undertook a duty of care to protect the person working there.”

Cllr Lucy Williams raised the idea that the tenants’ rent should be reviewed, if the ban remains, from the loss of trade.

All councillors then placed their votes, allowing people to smoke in the Old Market square.

Mayor, Cllr Graham Webb, said: “There we have the conclusion at least for now on this very drawn out debate.”

Months of debate led to a survey, a public voting box which was later declared void, more debate, brief suggestions of another online survey, a vote at committee, and then a vote at full council.