Public vote in favour of banning smoking in Horsham parks

The newspaper put the survey on its website after London Mayor Boris Johnson said he was considering plans to ban smoking from all parks in the capital last week.

In a very close vote 51 per cent of readers (136) said they were in favour of the ban with 49 per cent (130) against it.(All results are correct at the time of publishing).

The debate has sparked many comments from readers on the site both for and against the proposals.

CaptainBobs said: “If you ban alcohol in parks and public places, on the basis that it is anti-social and very bad for your health, then you should also ban smoking.

“The smoke drifts so you can’t ‘just walk away’ from it and it sets a bad example to young children using the park. The cigarette ends litter the ground and are just as unsightly as empty beer cans.”

Bunnymoo said: “I think it’s ok if there is no one around.

“There was a guy smoking in the bus stop away from me yesterday but the smoke drifted and filled up my air space.

“I think that’s bad but if I wasn’t there then I think it would be ok. I think the smokers should be considerate of when they light up.”

Should the proposal be successful in London, it has been suggested that other local councils could propose the idea in their area.

A spokesperson for HDC said: “We have no current intention to ban smoking across our parks and open spaces. However, we have installed signs asking the public not to smoke in any of our 53 Horsham District Council owned children’s play areas.”