WORKERS at a Little Lever factory are fuming after bosses banned smoking.

Employees of Lorival Plastics Ltd on William Street say they were warned that they faced the sack if caught lighting up anywhere within the works site.

Now, they say, anyone desperate for a drag has to wait until break-times to race to the factory gates.

"It's like having a sneaky smoke behind the bike sheds at school," said a union spokesman.

The workers say factory bosses introduced the ban after a 13 week transitional period. They were offered a smoking room but turned it down when management said anyone caught lighting up elsewhere would be dismissed.

The workers complain that some do eight and 12 hour shifts and are not allowed to leave the site. One of them, Diane Sanders-Hole, said they were even banned from smoking in their cars: "We're not doing anyone harm. I don't understand the ban."

George Tonge, a GMB union official who spoke to workers yesterday, said employers should provide a space for smokers: "You can understand the ban on health and safety grounds. But this is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

Lorival Plastics Ltd refused to comment and said it was "an internal matter."

Although there have been several fires at the Lorival factory in recent years - including one serious blaze - fire brigade officials say the factory is not a "high risk".

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