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Tower Hamlets council launches smoke free parks

42An event was held last week (Tuesday, June 16) to launch all council managed children’s playgrounds as smoke free areas.
This voluntary scheme has been introduced to help encourage parks users to refrain from smoking around children.
They have been implemented to protect the health of young children and their parents across the borough.
The council’s Smoke Free team – part of the Consumer and Business Regulations service at the council – has implemented the idea.
Smoke Free Officers have worked closely with the council’s Parks and Public Health services to provide a suitable clear and child friendly sign which will help parents realise that they should consider not smoking around children.
Not smoking around children can prevent and reduce the health effects of second hand smoke and also reduce the likelihood of children smoking themselves as they grow up.
The new no smoking sign was unveiled at Mile End Play Park, E14, by Dr Somen Banerjee, director of public health at the council
Dr Banerjee said: “Evidence shows that the more children see smoking when they are young, the more likely they are to become smokers themselves.
“This initiative is an important step towards protecting children from second-hand smoke and preventing them from seeing smoking as a normal, acceptable activity. The signs serve as a reminder for residents to think twice about smoking in front of children.
“Anyone living or working in Tower Hamlets can access free NHS stop smoking services by visitingwww.towerhamlets.gov.uk/stopsmoking.”
This is a voluntary scheme, which the council hopes residents of Tower Hamlets will choose to follow.