A court in Leeuwarden has acquitted the owners of a pub in Groningen which broke the universal smoking ban.

The owners of De Kachel (The Stove) had appealed their sentence by a lower court to a 1200 euro fine and a conditional closure of one month.

The court says it quashed the verdict because the smoking ban is not well described in the law. In the court's view, pubs are only obliged to take measures that protect their employees from smoke. This means that the smoking ban does not apply to staffless pubs run by their owner, according to the court.

Health Minister Ab Klink, who introduced the ban, said in a reaction that he intends to hold on to smoke-free pubs, restaurants and hotels. He said he will study the verdict and if necessary, change the law.

The Dutch Asthma Foundation, which is protecting the interests of asthma patients, called on the minister to enforce the general smoking ban. "Only a full ban can protect the health of employees and customers," the foundation's director Michael Rutgers said to ANP.