A petition containing the signatures of 680 people calling for the ban will be presented to council tomorrow.

Last month, a Heart Foundation survey found 77.5 per cent of local respondents supported a smoking ban in Peel St.

The proposal to prohibit smoking in the CBD, as well as in parks and children’s playgrounds, will go before council at a later date.

Tamworth hospital’s health committee member Max Cathcart circulated the petition among various businesses in town for just two weeks.

He said the support it had received from locals concerned at the health impacts of breathing second-hand smoke gave the council a clear mandate to act.

“People were virtually grabbing it out of my hand to sign ... they couldn’t sign it quick enough,” he said.

“There is no two ways about it; there is a very strong case here for the council to introduce it.”

Mr Cathcart said signatories to the petition had given a variety of reasons why they wanted to see smokers forced to butt out.

“Many of the shopkeepers were concerned about the duty of care to their staff in as much as cigarette smoke flows in off the street,” he said.

“Also, some of the people I spoke to said they had older relatives who won’t come down the street because the smoke could trigger their asthma.

“The most common comment, though, was that people just hate walking down the street with people blowing smoke around – they find it quite repulsive.”

Tamworth mayor Col Murray, who personally supports the ban, said smoking was becoming more socially unacceptable.

“This is another logical and positive step as we move towards to trying to provide a healthier environment for the majority of our citizens,” he said.

“People accept that smoking-related illnesses are a financial burden on the whole community and not just those who smoke.”

Councillor Murray conceded that neither the constabulary, nor council’s compliance staff, would be able to police such a ban.

However, he said it was expected “peer pressure” would discourage smokers from lighting up in areas where it was outlawed.