Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) – Smoke and Vape Free Zones

Knowsley Council has introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to create smoke and vape free zones in designated locations across the borough.

The PSPO aims to protect children, young people, and the wider community from exposure to smoking and vaping, and to support healthier public spaces.

The PSPO requires people to:

• Not smoke within a designated Smoke and Vape Free Zone.
• Not vape within a designated Smoke and Vape Free Zone.
• Not smoke or vape within 2 metres of any entrance, exit or access point within a designated Smoke and Vape Free Zone.
• Extinguish smoking materials or stop vaping when requested by an Authorised Officer.

The Smoke and Vape Free Zones include:

• Children’s playgrounds and Environmental Centres in parks.
• School grounds and the immediate vicinity of school gates and entrances.
• Youth centres.
• Leisure centres, including entrances and forecourts.
• Children’s centres and family hubs.
• Libraries, excluding Halewood and Prescot Libraries.
• Shakespeare North Playhouse external areas under Council management.

A full list of locations can be viewed on this page below.

Anyone who fails to comply with the PSPO may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100.

The PSPO came into effect on 28 September 2026 and will remain in place for three years.

Downloads

Read the PSPO in full here and view maps showing the locations covered by the Order.

Support to Stop Smoking

If you smoke and would like support to stop, free help is available through Smokefree Knowsley, Knowsley’s local stop smoking service, provided by City Health Care Partnership. The service offers specialist support to residents who want to quit, including one-to-one support face-to-face, over the phone or online.

For more information, visit Smokefree Knowsley, call 0151 426 7462, or text QUIT to 61825 to receive a call back from an adviser.

Smoke and vape-free zones

Click on each location below to view a map of the area that the PSPO applies to.

Please note: Smoking and vaping are prohibited within the designated smoke and vape-free zones shown on the maps below and within 2 metres of any entrance, exit or access point.