Major UK town threatens to fine locals using wood burners at Christmas

One of Britain’s most iconic seaside towns is cleaning up its act by threatening wood burner owners with fines and court cases – for burning the wrong type of fuel. 

Blackpool’s new clean air rules were brought in after 700 complaints in the Lancashire resort about illegal bonfires and noxious fumes over the last five years. 

They will control “dark smoke” from chimneys, caused by people burning the wrong materials on wood burners and open fires on the beach, gardens and parks. 

Blackpool Council said it wanted to tackle burning that “posed significant health risks to the surrounding community”. 

There are currently no smoke control areas in Blackpool because, being a coastal town, the air quality is generally good. 

But the council said it had to act in response to complaints about garden bonfires and the burning of waste which can release toxic fumes. 

It said while bonfires were common, “they can have a profound negative impact on local air quality”.

The council added: “This concern is particularly acute when individuals burn hazardous or unauthorised materials, such as plastics, tyres, and painted wood. The combustion of these materials releases a range of toxic substances.” 

Community bonfires will also be monitored to ensure they take air pollution into consideration. 

Wood-burning stoves have risen in popularity in the UK with an estimated 1.9m homes now having one, according to the Stove Industry Alliance. 

But earlier this month health dangers were highlighted after new research claimed  residential wood fires produce more pollution than road traffic.

The findings, from the University of Birmingham, show a quarter of harmful, tiny particles in the air, known as PM2.5s, come from domestic fires while traffic is responsible for 22 per cent. 

PM2.5s have been linked to conditions such as heart disease and strokes. The boffins analysed PM2.5 samples collected in 2021 and 2022 at two sites in Birmingham. 

They found wood-burning concentrations seven times higher than those observed between 2008 and 2010. 

The impact of wood burning was particularly pronounced in winter, contributing to half of PM2.5 concentrations. Lead study investigator Prof Zongbo Shi admitted he was surprised by his own findings.

He said it “demonstrates the huge impact” burning wood at home has and he hoped it would make people consider “if there is a real need to use their stoves”. 

Prof Shi added: “We need to see immediate and coordinated actions at local and national levels to reduce wood burning, improve air quality – including enhancement and enforcement of smoke control areas to curb emissions from woodburning stoves and open fires. 

“This has great potential to reduce PM2.5-related health risks and decrease mortality in the region.” 

Researchers at the university estimated that, annually in the West Midlands, up to 2,300 premature deaths arose from long-term exposure to PM2.5s. 

Study author Dr Deepchandra Srivastava commented: “Our study highlights the significant increase in woodburning activity in the past 10 years, making it one of the most important sources of air pollution in the West Midlands.” 

Last year, as part of their 25-year environmental plan, ministers brought in legislation cutting the amount of PM2.5s which wood burners were allowed to emit. 

It applies to homes in smoke control areas which cover most of England’s towns and cities. 

The study’s experts recommend raising public awareness about the health impacts and promoting practices such as burning only dry, seasoned wood and local authorities urging the use of alternatives, such as heat pumps. 

Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air at Global Action Plan said: “Lighting fires in our homes is now the largest source of toxic fine particle air pollution in the UK, presenting a range of serious health risks including heart and lung disease, diabetes, and dementia. 

“Despite growing evidence of the UK’s burning problem – like this new research from the University of Birmingham – many people are still unaware that wood burning is harming our health and the planet.”

Campaign group Mums for Lungs have also called for wood burners to be phased out. 

Kirsten de Vos, of Moseley, in Birmingham, from they were worried the effect they were having on children and others with health issues. 

Ms de Vos said: “It’s particularly worrying that those with very little agency, their health is being damaged when they’re very young, even before they’re born. It’s like breathing fumes from a diesel truck, it’s as bad as that.” 

In Tyseley, Birmingham, ACR Stoves produce 10,000 wood burners for the UK market every year and managing director Jason Searle said the modern eco stove was more efficient and “produced 90 per cent fewer emissions than a traditional open fire and 80mper cent fewer emissions than an old stove”. 

But he said the stove was “only as good as the fuel you put on it”, with the wood needing to be below 20 per cent moisture content.