Voluntary smoking ban set to be trialled on beach

Pevensey Bay beach could become smoke-free

A voluntary smoking ban is set to be piloted on Pevensey Bay beach in East Sussex in an attempt to help people quit the habit.

Similar schemes are already being trialled on Bexhill beach and Camber Sands by East Sussex County Council.

The trial, set to begin on 23 September, forms part of a national drive to reduce the number of smokers to less than 5% of the population.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal nine per cent of women and 13% of men in the district of Wealden - which includes Pevensey - are smokers.

Pevensey beach stretches for about 5.6 miles (9km) between Eastbourne and Bexhill.

Darrell Gale, director of East Sussex Public Health, said the voluntary ban was aimed at "reducing the normalisation of smoking" and comes with "messaging and support" for people who want to stop.

Gale said an additional benefit was to protect the environment.

"The buts go in the sand or the shingle, and all the chemicals in the buts end up in the sea damaging our wildlife," he said.

'Very annoying'

One beachgoer told BBC Radio Sussex: "Being a non-smoker myself, I'm all for it. It is quite intrusive when people next to you are smoking.

"I'm all for a free country, but designated spaces would be much better in my opinion.

"Some people think that once they've finished, they can discard it where they like, and that's very annoying."

A woman walking on the beach said: "As a smoker myself, I'm certainly not in favour.

"I understand that dropping litter is horrible, and I keep picking litter up from the beach, but that includes wrapped dog poo and plastic bottles and lots of plastic wrappers.

"A smoking ban doesn't really tackle the issue at all because the issue is far wider than just cigarette butts.

"I personally collect my cigarette butts and take them home with me and I think every responsible person would do that."

Simon Clark from smokers' rights organisation Forest said the ban was "absolutely absurd".

He said there was "simply no evidence" that smoking in the open air poses a risk to anyone else's health.