A petition has been launched to ban smoking in parks and children playgrounds in a bid to protect children from second hand smoking.

Despite evidence of the dangers of second-hand smoking and bans placed on enclosed public spaces, it is legal to smoke in playgrounds and public parks.

A woman has started a petition to attempt to bring in the ban to smoking in playgrounds. Annie Dressner claims she was inspired to start the petition after another woman started to smoke in the playground near her son.

Addressing the situation in her petition Ms Dressner said:  “Yesterday a woman asked if it would bother me if she smoked in the playground while on the seesaw with her young daughter, when I said it would bother me, she told me that my one year old son would turn out to be “arrogant” and smoked anyway.”

Ms Dressner has stated she wasn’t looking to ban smoking from all public areas, but areas that were specifically designed for children.

In 2007 smoking was banned in public spaces like restaurants and bars followed by a ban on smoking in cars with children in 2015.

Ms Dressner said: “Dogs are banned from kids’ parks. Smoke should also be banned in and near them.”

The petition has picked up 1,000 signatures so far and will be debated in parliament when it reaches 10,000 signatures.