Brit pub finds smoking 'loophole'

BARNSLEY, England, May 12 (UPI) -- The landlady of a British pub said she has found a "legal loophole" to allow her to bring back indoor smoking by opening a "smoking research center."

Kerry Fenton, 36, said one of her customers, James Martin, 40, studied The Smoke-Free Regulations 2007 and found a "legal loophole" indicating the Cutting Edge pub in Barnsley, England, could offer indoor smoking if a room in the building was classified as a "smoking research center," the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

She said the system works by allowing customers to smoke in the designated room after they fill out a research survey about their smoking habits. Fenton said the move has been a boon for business.

"Before our research center opened we were lucky to get 10 people in at a weekend and we were struggling to survive. It's certainly given business a shot in the arm and it's all in the name of research, legal and above aboard," she said.

Local authorities said they are investigating the matter.