You could be fined £25 for smoking on a popular holiday beach

TOURISTS face a new £25 fine for smoking on a city’s beaches.

Council leaders yesterday extended last year’s ban in four locations in Barcelona, ​​Spain, to all ten beaches from July.

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They cite health reasons and say it takes a decade for cigarette butts to dissipate.

Eloi Badia, Councilor for Green Transition, said: “Last year nobody was fined and only the odd absent-minded smoker had to be asked to move onto the promenade.”

The ban comes into effect after an information campaign that began in April.

The Spanish government has proposed measures to extend the current smoking ban in public places to terraces and beaches.

But the ambitious new anti-smoking law in the works, which is expected to include a ban on lighting in private cars, is unlikely to be fully drafted before 2023.

The country’s Ministry of Health also wants to drive up the price of tobacco through additional taxes.

Spanish tobacco legislation currently prohibits smoking in many indoor public spaces.

Cafe and bar owners are expected to campaign vigorously against any change in current laws.