There have been calls to ban smoking on Irish beaches following new restrictions in Barcelona, Spain. 

Margaret is a member of the Sandycove Clean Coast Group and previously campaigned to have smoking banned on her local beach.

Speaking on Lunchtime Live today, she said: "Cigarette butts are really a scourge on the beach."

"They're deadly to the marine life and they contribute to the growing plastic pollution."

Margaret said that, when her group is cleaning the beach, the most common piece of litter is cigarette butts.

She doesn't think the Irish government "has any idea" the damage smoking is doing to the country's beaches.

Vapes

Harriet from Flossie and The Beach Cleaners, a marine environmental charity, said cigarettes are not the biggest culprit on Irish beaches.

"Vapes are the problem now", she says. "We pick up endless vapes on every beach clean. A cigarette butt takes ten years to break down, a vape takes hundreds of years."

On whether she would like to see a ban implemented, Harriet said: "I just think it's a hard thing to do. I think it would be impossible to ban smoking."

"We have stuff thrown at volunteers, so I can't imagine someone actually walking along a beach and saying 'put your cigarette out'. They would probably get abused."

"Beach police"

On the other side of the argument was Damien who believes that a ban could lead to "beach zealots taking over and maybe putting up turnstiles that admit some and turn others away".

"I would've thought that's where you get the most bracing air and I can put up with a cigarette or two on a beach of all places."

"I think the tail could be wagging the nation yet again. I think we have enough zealotry to put up with without cordoning off the beaches."

Free-for-all

Another caller and ex-smoker, John, said he has seen the effects of the ban in Perth, Australia, and believes Ireland could benefit from similar restrictions.

"[In Perth,] there are designated areas, but in Ireland it's a bit of a free-for-all."

John also believes that e-cigarettes specifically should be banned from indoors, as well as smoking of any kind near pub entrances.

Main image shows a cigarette butt in the sand on a beach. JL Images/Alamy Stock Photo