Prisoners helped to quit smoking

The smoking ban will come into force on the Isle of Man in March

Prison staff on the Isle of Man are carrying out training courses so they will be able to offer stop-smoking counselling to prisoners on the island.

The courses are planned to help inmates who want to quit ahead of next March's smoking ban in the Isle of Man.

The decision to bring in the ban at the prison, and not seek legislative exemption, came after surveys of staff and prisoners.

Prisoners will be offered counselling and nicotine replacement therapy.

Home Affairs Minister, Martyn Quayle, said: "It's been a very difficult issue to reflect the fact that we are not going to please everybody.

"Certainly the prison officers will have a right to enjoy a no-smoking environment as much as their counterparts in the civil service working outside the prison."