Ocean campaigners hail French move to snuff out cigarette butt pollution

A discarded cigarette butt lies on the sand at La Ciotat beach near Marseille, southern France. A new outdoor smoking ban aims to keep beaches like this free of littered filters. AP - Jacques Brinon

A sweeping ban on smoking in outdoor public spaces is expected to help stub out the scourge of cigarette butts – France’s most common form of litter – from beaches, parks and bus stops.

The new rules, which came into effect at the weekend, prohibit smoking on beaches during bathing season, in public parks, and at bus stops during operating hours.