Local authorities still failing to tackle wood burning
Headline and image from The Times
Our latest research, building on our previous Freedom of Information requests from 2021 and 2023, again reveals the inadequacy of the Government’s legislation in tackling air pollution from wood burning in smoke control areas.
Despite over 5,600 smoke complaints being made between September 2023 & August 2024 in smoke control areas in England, only four have resulted in a fine and not a single prosecution has been pursued.
Councils failing to enforce smoke control areas
Only four councils out of the 159 that responded to our Freedom of Information requests said they had issued a penalty notice for wood burning - Bolsover, Bristol, Horsham and Wakefield. St Helen’s Council said they issued four abatement notices and Norwich City Council issued a single community protection warning.
There are clear regulations around smoke control areas, but councils fail to enforce them. The Government needs to ensure councils are given the tools and resources to protect children from toxic pollution, not just ask them to discuss the risks
Air pollution from wood burning
Domestic combustion is a major cause of toxic air pollution in the UK, and is the biggest source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). PM2.5 is associated with a range of serious health conditions including heart disease, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function and lung cancer.
According to research commissioned by Global Action Plan in September, 22 per cent of the UK public and 37 per cent of Londoners now use an open fire and/or wood burning stove in their home. Considering that using an indoor wood stove or fireplace increases women’s risk of developing lung cancer by 43% compared with those who do not use wood heating, this very underappreciated source of air pollution must be tackled urgently.
We echo the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s recent position statement recommending the phase-out of domestic wood burning in urban areas and that assistance be given to those in rural areas to transition away from solid fuel burning.
Don’t Choke Santa
In Lambeth, London, our Christmas advertising campaign uses the tagline ‘Don’t Choke Santa’, and we urge everyone to think twice about burning this Christmas if you have an alternative source of heating.
Your lungs, and your neighbours, will thank you.
You can read more about this story in The Times, The Guardian, the Daily Mail and Air Quality News.