A magic trick which uses a lit cigarette may not been stubbed out for good – after environment bosses agreed to look into into whether it could still be performed indoors despite new smoking laws.

Magician John Milner, who runs the House of Magic, in Stourbridge, was left devastated when the ban came into effect as he believed his trick, The Lit Cigarette, would have to be axed from his act.

But after receiving advice the trick may still be legal, the magician sent an open letter to Dudley Council asking them if it would be exempt from the ban.

Officers from the council said it may be possible to perform the trick if certain conditions were put in place.

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A magic trick which uses a lit cigarette may not been stubbed out for good – after environment bosses agreed to look into into whether it could still be performed indoors despite new smoking laws.

Magician John Milner, who runs the House of Magic, in Stourbridge, was left devastated when the ban came into effect as he believed his trick, The Lit Cigarette, would have to be axed from his act.

But after receiving advice the trick may still be legal, the magician sent an open letter to Dudley Council asking them if it would be exempt from the ban.

Officers from the council said it may be possible to perform the trick if certain conditions were put in place.

These include putting up warning notices and getting prior permission from venues. He would be limited to a single performance per night.

Performing the act outdoors is still permitted and it seems tuition of the trick at the shop’s School of Wizardry will have to take place on the pavement outside. Mr Milner says he will have to wait for a government advisory body to conjure up the final decision.

The Express & Star reported two weeks ago how Mr Milner, a member of the Inner Magic Circle, had been entertaining audiences with the trick for more than 40 years.

During the act, a lit cigarette disappears in a jacket after being stubbed out in the folds of the material. The cigarette then reappears and the jacket is undamaged.

Mr Milner said he was pleased there is still a chance trick may be allowed. “Two council officers visited me earlier this week to see a demonstration of the trick,” he added. “Officers seem to be working very hard to interpret a very confusing piece of legislation.”