SMOKERS may one day have to stub out their habit in public playgrounds in Warrington.

Discussions are currently taking place at Warrington Borough Council to launch a public consultation for a voluntary smoke free code to target the 30,700 people in the town who smoke.

A spokesman said: “We are currently in discussions with senior staff and elected members to carry out a public consultation on implementing a voluntary code within playground areas on council-owned land.

“This is only at the discussion phase and no further actions or decisions have been made yet.”

The plans would fall under the Government’s new Localism Bill, which aims to ban smoking in public places such as parks and play areas.

The bill allows restrictions to be placed in areas requested by residents with councils and NHS trusts selecting places chiefly used by children.

The Local Government Group will hold a meeting in Manchester Town Hall in October to explore this and other issues surrounding smoking.

The one-day event, called Tackling Tobacco in Your Community, will hold debates about protecting children and tobacco in deprived communities.

Peter Astley, Warrington Borough Council’s public protection manager, will be speaking at the meeting.

Also in attendance will be Andrea Crossfield, the director of Smokefree North West, which is funded by the region’s 24 PCTS, including NHS Warrington.

Councils in Cumbria and Milton Keynes are also considering outlawing smoking in some open air areas.

These measures come after New York City outlawed smoking in parks and beaches earlier in 2011.

Scotland banned indoor smoking in public places in 2006, with England, Northern Ireland and Wales following a year later.