Households with a log burner could face hefty fines this winter (Image: Getty)
Households in England with a log burner in their home have been warned they face a fine of £300 if they make a common mistake.
A means that the amount of smoke new stoves can emit is now 3g per hour – down from 5g previously.
The figure was lowered after the government banned the sale of house coal and wet wood in England in 2022 as part of moves to cut emissions and encourage the use of greener fuels.
It means that if homes with a log burner release too much they may have to pay a fine of £300 under section 19A of the Clean Air Act 1993.
With the across parts of the UK this Christmas, thousands of households will be lighting up their log burners to keep toasty in the cold.
Government rules state: “Many parts of the UK are smoke control areas where you cannot release smoke from a chimney, and you can only burn authorised fuel, unless you use an appliance approved by Defra.
“In England you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area.”
In addition, any household that buys unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that’s not approved by Defra faces a fine of up to £1,000. If your solid fuel is not on you cannot burn it in your log burner if you live in a smoke control area.
The government adds: “In a smoke control area you can only burn fuel that is on the list of authorised fuels, or any of the following ‘smokeless’ fuels, unless you’re using a Defra approved appliance: anthracite, semi-anthracite, gas, low volatile steam coal.
“Unauthorised fuels, such as wood, can only be burned in exempt appliances such as some boilers, cookers and stoves. You must only use the types of fuel that the manufacturer says can be used in the appliance.”
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Households are warned to only use certified fire logs in their burners and to monitor the stove’s glass to make sure there are no small cracks or excess damage.
Burning at home with traditional house coal or wet wood is a major source of the pollutant PM2.5, which can enter the bloodstream and lodge in lungs and other organs. This pollutant has been identified by the World Health Organisation as the most serious air pollutant for human health.
Any households with a log burner or open fire are now required by law to buy cleaner alternative fuels, such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels, which produce less smoke. Burning dry wood also produces more heat and less soot than wet wood and can reduce emissions by up to 50%.