"I'd like an apology, and a refund": Man, 40, who's never touched a cigarette in his life is fined £100 for ‘smoking’ in Cheshire Premier Inn room

A businessman was stung with a £100 fine after complaining to Premier Inn that his room stank of smoke and was accused of causing the stench - despite being a non-smoker himself. Mark Mallender was staying at the budget chain hotel in Dover, Kent, on a work trip.

The 40-year-old, from Wilmslow, noticed a pungent smell in his double room when he arrived at around 4pm, and he found that it was strongest in the bathroom. Mark saw that the window was open so he put the unpleasant smell down to someone smoking outside.

After having dinner he returned to his £49 room and found that the stench still remained. He headed down to reception to report it.

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Mark was then given a customer complaint card but he spent the night struggling to sleep as the smell was so strong. The training course managing director was shocked when he later received a letter blaming him for the smell, which stated that ‘evidence’ had been discovered in his room and that he would be charged £100.

But the businessman claims he has never smoked a cigarette in his life, and says he doesn’t even know how to smoke. Mark said: "I'm not a smoker, I never have, I wouldn't know how to.

“I've never smoked a single cigarette in my 40 years, it's never appealed to me. I've never even bought a cigarette in my life so then to be accused of it was a hard hit.

"If they had found anything it was from the person before and it was fairly well hidden because I didn't see anything in the waste paper bins or anything like that."

Mark added: "When I went into the room I could smell something and at first I thought 'well maybe it's coming in through