Do local councils really have nothing better to do?
According to Brighton and Hove News, 'Brighton and Hove could become one of the first places in the UK to ban smoking in its parks and on its beaches.'
Here's our response:
The smokers' group Forest has urged Brighton and Hove City Council to reject calls to extend smoke free zones to include beaches and parks.
Responding to news that the Council may hold a consultation on the issue, Simon Clark, director of Forest, said:
"Extending the smoking ban to parks and beaches is an unwarranted attack on people's personal freedom.
"There's no evidence that smoking in the open air is a risk to the health of anyone other than the smoker.
"Nor is there evidence that the sight of a stranger lighting up encourages children to smoke.
"Tobacco is legal product. Smokers pay over £10 billion annually in tobacco taxation, a sum that far exceeds the alleged cost of treating smoking-related diseases. This persistent attack on their habit must stop.
"Smokers should smoke responsibly, with consideration for others around them, but extending the smoking ban, even on a voluntary basis, to outdoor spaces is petty and illiberal."
The proposal for a consultation will go to committee later this month.
Update: The Brighton Argus has the story plus a very short quote from me here – Potential smoking ban for Brighton and Hove beaches and parks.
Ditto the Telegraph – Seaside resort proposes banning smoking on beaches – which uses the same quote.