Smokers will be asked not to light up on two East Sussex beaches from this year.
Bexhill beach from the De La Warr pavilion to the Coronation Bandstand on East Parade and all of Camber Sands beach has been designated smoke free.
Visitors are being asked to support the voluntary initiative by choosing not to smoke on these beaches, helping to protect children and young people as well as the environment from the harmful effects of smoking.
Rob Tolfree, acting director of East Sussex Public Health, said: “Second-hand smoke is just as toxic outdoors as it is indoors.
“Creating two smoke free beaches in East Sussex will help protect our children and young people from the effects of smoking by encouraging people to think twice before smoking on the beach.”
To launch the scheme, local volunteers took part in a beach clean in partnership with the Sussex Wildlife Trust last month, which saw rubbish including fishing poles, plastic fishing line, glass bottles and plastic bottle tops collected from Bexhill beach.
Cigarette butts are one of the most littered items globally and take years to biodegrade. They leak chemicals including nicotine, ethyl phenol and heavy metals into the sea as they breakdown, damaging delicate marine ecosystems.
East Sussex has two Marine Conservation Zones which protect rare underwater chalk reefs and vulnerable blue mussel beds, as well as diverse marine life including Short-Snouted Seahorses and Cuckoo Wrasse, plus Ross Coral, sponges, sea squirts, and anemones.
Cllr Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council, said: “The district council welcomes this extremely positive initiative to establish the first voluntary smoke free beaches in England.
“As well as protecting people from second hand smoke, creating smoke free beaches will also help protect our sea life and coastlines from the harm caused by cigarette and tobacco litter that is washed into the sea.
“Although the scheme is currently only in place on Camber Sands and part of Bexhill beach, we hope that through this initiative people will choose not to smoke when they are visiting any of our beaches in Rother.”
Its a force ten gale on most beaches, who are they kidding.