Woman appeals garden smoking ban
A 49-year-old woman banned from smoking in her own garden has appealed the decision to the Environmental High Court, Sydsvenskan reports.
Last month the woman from Åkarp in southern Sweden was ordered to refrain from smoking too close to her neighbour's hedge, a decision she feels was a violation of her human rights.
In her appeal to the court, the woman claims that the partial outdoor smoking ban has no basis in law.
The temporary ban was to remain in place until the Environmental Court in Växjö decided how best to resolve the conflict between the woman and her neighbour, a lawyer with a strong aversion to cigarette smoke.
The Environmental Court will however now have to wait for the appeals court to reach a decision before proceeding with the case.
The neighbourly feud took on new proportions in mid-August when the Environmental Court sent a delegation to the woman's home. Enraged by the new development, the woman refused to allow the two court representatives to inspect her property.
"I thought it was crazy. What were they going to do here? This is just ridiculous," she told Sydsvenskan.
The lawyer however was only too pleased to be able to assist the delegates. From his side of the hedge he was able to pinpoint where his neighbour usually chose to smoke her cigarettes.
The delegates proceeded to take meticulous notes, resulting in a scale diagram of the two gardens. According to the court's inspection protocol, the assessment took a total of 40 minutes.
The lawyer also told the court that his sensitivity to cigarette smoke meant he had to wear an oxygen mask every time he left his house to walk to the car.
"He walks around with the mask on regardless of whether I'm smoking or not. It used to annoy me but now I don't care any more," the woman told Sydsvenskan.
After reviewing the relevant documentation, the court ruled that the woman was banned from smoking within a nine metre radius of the lawyer's house
The protracted feud began last year when the woman received a decidedly unneighbourly letter from the lawyer.
"The only way we can get in and out of our house is by passing the path that faces your house. As such, we can no longer accept you poisoning our existence with your disgusting and unhealthy tobacco smoke," the lawyer wrote.
Comments
See Also
Last month the woman from Åkarp in southern Sweden was ordered to refrain from smoking too close to her neighbour's hedge, a decision she feels was a violation of her human rights.
In her appeal to the court, the woman claims that the partial outdoor smoking ban has no basis in law.
The temporary ban was to remain in place until the Environmental Court in Växjö decided how best to resolve the conflict between the woman and her neighbour, a lawyer with a strong aversion to cigarette smoke.
The Environmental Court will however now have to wait for the appeals court to reach a decision before proceeding with the case.
The neighbourly feud took on new proportions in mid-August when the Environmental Court sent a delegation to the woman's home. Enraged by the new development, the woman refused to allow the two court representatives to inspect her property.
"I thought it was crazy. What were they going to do here? This is just ridiculous," she told Sydsvenskan.
The lawyer however was only too pleased to be able to assist the delegates. From his side of the hedge he was able to pinpoint where his neighbour usually chose to smoke her cigarettes.
The delegates proceeded to take meticulous notes, resulting in a scale diagram of the two gardens. According to the court's inspection protocol, the assessment took a total of 40 minutes.
The lawyer also told the court that his sensitivity to cigarette smoke meant he had to wear an oxygen mask every time he left his house to walk to the car.
"He walks around with the mask on regardless of whether I'm smoking or not. It used to annoy me but now I don't care any more," the woman told Sydsvenskan.
After reviewing the relevant documentation, the court ruled that the woman was banned from smoking within a nine metre radius of the lawyer's house
The protracted feud began last year when the woman received a decidedly unneighbourly letter from the lawyer.
"The only way we can get in and out of our house is by passing the path that faces your house. As such, we can no longer accept you poisoning our existence with your disgusting and unhealthy tobacco smoke," the lawyer wrote.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.