The Railway Hotel, Nursery Lane, Ovenden, Halifax, is under investigation by environmental health officers and West Yorkshire Police after claims smokers were allowed to light-up indoors.

A team from both organisations visited the pub on Thursday night in a joint operation to investigate the allegations.

A spokesman for Calderdale Council said: "Officers from the north Halifax neighbourhood police team and Environmental Health Services visited a licensed premises concerning members of the public being allowed to smoke in a smoke-free premises.

"Investigations are still at an early stage and further information will be made available following consultation with the relevant licensing authorities."

The licensees of the Railway Hotel are understood to be on holiday and were unavailable for comment.

The pub would be one of the first in the country to face action under the smoking ban, which outlaws smoking inside and became law in July.

The council spokesman said the raid came after information they received and the closure of the Golden Fleece in Greetland.

The Golden Fleece was closed last week by licensing officers and the pub's owners Admiral Taverns after Stuart Smith allowed smoking there.

He claimed to be the licensee and vowed to fight any attempts to stop smoking on the premises.

But it transpired he hever had a licence for the Golden Fleece and had no right to run the pub.

The council has pledged to crack down on any premises that allows smoking indoors.

"Similar visits are planned to other establishments within Calderdale in due course," said the spokesman. "Calderdale Council will take enforcement action where it is deemed necessary to do so."