Another beach in Wales goes 'smoke free' (sic)

A second beach in Wales has been pronounced 'smoke free'.

Speaking on behalf of Forest I'm quoted by the BBC as follows:

"The council is treating adults like children. The overwhelming majority of smokers know to smoke with consideration for those around them. The council should allow them to use their common sense without imposing yet another petty regulation."

See Voluntary beach smoking ban at Swansea's Caswell Bay starts (BBC News).

Interestingly there's no mention of the council's policy on vaping. Nor is there any mention of the public consultation Swansea Council conducted last year.

Widely reported at the time I've read nothing about it since. (The BBC was also unaware of a consultation report.)

The only thing I have heard is a councillor in Brighton saying the result of the Swansea consultation was similar to that in Brighton - ie, a massive rejection of a beach smoking ban.

We'll be contacting the council this morning. If we get a reply I'll let you know.

Update: The story, with quotes from Forest, can also be found on the ITV News website (Voluntary smoking ban trialled at second Welsh beach).

Meanwhile the South Wales Evening Post has this report, Smoking group fumes over 'voluntary ban' on cigarettes on Caswell Bay, that includes some additional comments from Forest:

"Smoking in the open air poses no risk to anyone else's health, nor is there evidence that the sight of a stranger smoking encourages children to smoke.

"Youth smoking rates are currently at their lowest levels ever so this policy is both intrusive and unnecessary.

"If litter is an issue the council should provide cigarette bins to help smokers dispose of their butts.

Unfortunately many councils refuse to do this because they say it normalises smoking. Well, they can't have it both ways.

"This is not about health. It's about councils micro-managing our lives in a way that would have been inconceivable a generation ago."