Proposed Ban on Smoking on the Beaches Not Going Over Well in France

Socialist minister also wants smoking banned on university campuses

A call by France's health minister for local authorities to ban smoking in parks and on beaches has sparked debate as a heat wave grips the country.

Marisol Touraine told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper she wanted to see more tobacco-free zones, to protect children's health.

The Socialist minister said she hoped smoking would also be banned outside schools and on university campuses.

Smoke-free beaches have appeared in some French resorts in recent years.