Councillors said they felt it was difficult to monitor users

The ban was made at a meeting of Derry City Council on Thursday night.

It's worried about the links between sunbed use and skin cancer.

Dr Raymond Fulton, a consultant dermatologist at the city's Altnagelvin Hospital, said at holiday times the hospital treated up to three sunbed users each week.

He said most suffered burns to their eyes - similar to those caused by an arc welder.

The council's chief environmental health officer, John Meehan, said it had been left with no option.

"The council are very concerned about the evidence between sunbed use and skin cancer," he said.

"Following a presentation from Altnagelvin, we decided that in the interests of public health to deliver our contribution to the regional melanoma strategy.

Young people seem to be the growing end of the market and we see kids, for all sorts of cultural reasons, getting themselves tanned up John Meehan Derry City Council

"This strategy is that all councils should eliminate artificial tanning equipment within their premises."

Mr Meehan said Dr Fulton had pointed out that Northern Ireland had the highest rate of skin cancer per head of population in the world.

People aged under 30 - the group most likely to use tanning machines - are eight times more at risk if they use the equipment more than 10 times a year, he said.

"On reflection, council felt it would be better off if we did not provide this service.

"Young people seem to be the growing end of the market and we see kids, for all sorts of cultural reasons, getting themselves tanned up.

"Council did not want to be involved in anything which increased risk to health - the statistics are very stark."

'Not overdoing it'

Councillors said they felt it was difficult to monitor users to ensure machines were being properly operated.

The leisure centres do not have a facility to gauge how much exposure users have had to the machines.

"There is no way we can be certain that people are making sure that they are not overdoing it," said Mr Meehan.

The council will also monitor the commercial sector

"The council was also very concerned about the proliferation of the commercial sector, in terms of suntanning salons and the scale of hire of sunbed facilities."

The council will also monitor the commercial sector through its powers under the Health and Safety at Work Order.

The Scottish Parliament is planning to give councils the power to licence sunbed salons.

A scheme already operates in Edinburgh, where salons licensed by the city council must adhere to a code of practice laid down by the Sunbed Association.