Today, in a measure that seems almost certain to be replicated for many beaches in France Christian Estrosi, the Mayor of Nice, Professor Gilbert Lenoir, president of France’s Ligue nationale contre le cancer (the National League against Cancer) and Professor Maurice Schneider , Chairman of the local Alpes-Maritimes branch of the Ligue nationale contre le cancer will sign an agreement establishing Nice as the first beach in France to be designated "Plage sans tabac" - "beach without tobacco".

In France, the Ligue nationale contre le cancer has been pressing for beaches to be designated no smoking areas and the new designation will make expanses of the beach at Nice no smoking zones, backed up by the publication of municipal bye-laws.

Last year, the town of La Ciotat, in the Bouches-du-Rhone, had prohibited smoking on parts of its beaches, a first in France but the beach at Nice will be the first to be officially designated with the backing of the Ligue nationale contre le cancer in a move which seems likely to affect more and more coastal areas.

How long before the beaches of Vendée are off-limits to smokers?

See also our earlier story: French Fume at Smoking on the Beach