MOVES to make play parks in Fife smoke free could be progressed after consultation took place over the summer.

NHS Fife and Fife Council have teamed up to look into the issue which would help prevent kids breathing in harmful fumes when they’re having fun.

There seems to be popular backing for the move – a straw poll with the public saw the act of smoking at a play park labelled “unpleasant” and “not acceptable” – and councillors were told at a recent meeting of their Assets and Corporate Services Committee that discussions would continue on the possibility of a ban.

Deputy health promotion manager for NHS Fife, Kay Samson, said they were pleased to be able to help.

She explained: “We tried to do a range of consultations across a number of parks, not just in one area.

“This was small scale consultation and done over four days and we looked to approach about five people in each park, with the exception of Pittencrieff Park as that was quite large, so we looked at getting a larger group.

“The feedback was good. People agreed with it 100 per cent. They thought it was a good idea – especially if there was a smoking area nearby.

“Some people thought it already was supposed to be smoke free and thought it was unpleasant and should not be done near children.

“Terms used were ‘not appropriate’ and ‘not acceptable’ to see someone smoking inside a playpark.”

She continued: “In the National Action Plan from the Scottish Government, it was highlighted that this was an area that local councils could pick up so they came to us to help with how they decide to go about this.

“We had some capacity over the summer to do a bit of consultation out in the parks and that is what we fed back to the council through their committees.”

Kay said information and advice has been passed on and added: “It is now up to the council. We can raise awareness and it would be good to have our parks smoke free but it has to come from the council to progress anything.

“What they are basically saying is it is on the radar but it is not immediate.”

A Fife Council spokespersons said their communities directorate will consider the Fife Tobacco Strategy with a view to recommending that relevant elements are incorporated into the Play Space Strategy which will be reviewed in 2020.

“There is an opportunity to include positive health messages in the re-purposing parks programme as this would be consistent with other information to be displayed encouraging active healthy lifestyles,” added the spokesperson.

“Delivery of the next phase of the play park programme is subject to securing capital funding through the councils 2021-2031 capital plan via the Investment Strategy Group. As well as reinforcing the health benefits message, there would clearly be cost efficiencies by using signage to promote both this and smoke free environments.”