Anti-smoking rules could be extended to cover a second Newcastle shopping centre and the historic Grainger Market, it was revealed yesterday.

Members of the city council's constitutional committee have approved plans to introduce a byelaw covering Eldon Square shopping centre.

It will mean that anyone caught smoking in the malls could be fined up to £500.

The byelaw is thought to be unique, and has to be created because the city council has a "walkways agreement" with the owners of Eldon Square, which means that the walkways in the shopping centre are treated as public highways.

As such, any bans have to be backed by byelaws. Malcolm Lumsden, operations manager at Eldon Square, said most shopping centres now had smoking bans.

At the meeting yesterday, councillors were told the byelaw would have to be put out to public consultation first and then approved by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Coun Tony Flynn, leader of the council, said: "I would like to see negotiations begin with Eldon Garden shopping centre for a similar byelaw and also for Grainger Market, where we are also landlord.

"We have been told that cutting out smoking would be the biggest lifesaver possible and anything we can do to help has to be welcomed.

"We have led the way on these issues. We were one of the first councils to ban smoking from a civic centre too."

Coun Peter Arnold, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, said: "A ban in Grainger Market would be very welcome. Smoking around food isn't on."

Capital Shopping Centres, which also owns the Metro Centre in Gateshead, plans to ban smoking from the MetroCentre in January and provide shelters for smokers to light up in.

No such refuges for tobacco-addicts at Eldon Square have yet been proposed.