PLANS to build a smoking shelter at Milford-on-Sea Club have been stubbed out by New Forest District Council.

While being pleased about the council's decisision, near neighbours are still fuming about the smell of smoke and noise from people who have to go outside the club and light up near their garden fence.

And club secretary Richard Millbery has been left wondering about the sense behind the anti-smoking legislation.

The club committee submitted a planning application asking for permission to erect the shelter attached to an existing wall in the barbecue area behind the club.

Milford-on-Sea Parish Council recommended refusal on the grounds it would cause unacceptable levels of noise pollution and have an adverse affect on the health and well-being of residents.

The district council followed up by refusing permission, saying it "would unreasonably impact on the residential amenities of the occupants of the neighbouring properties".

The neighbours' Park Road home backs onto the club car park.

They do not want to be named, but said: "Where they were going to put it was right up against our garden fence which is about 10ft away from our back lawn, so any smoke would have come over the fence.

"It would have been a health hazard, and the noise would have been horrendous as well because people don't smoke by themselves, which is what's happening now.

"Also it would have been up until 11pm at night.

"The smoke is bad for people's health in the club so then they were going to put it 10ft from my garden; and it was going to be all day."

He said groups of seven or eight smokers often congregate outside the club now to puff cigarettes.

"Unfortunately the more people drink the louder they become. And late at night people will be throwing their stubs over the hedge," he said.

Club secretary Richard Millbery said the shelter would be discussed at the next committee meeting.

"We will do our best to keep the noise down," he said.

"As much as I enjoy walking through into the club in a smoke-free atmosphere, I wonder if the thing has been thought through fully. Now the only place for people to smoke is on the street."

He said he would have been prepared to hand over the upstairs committee room to the smokers, which would remove any problems, "but that's not allowed".