Warning issued to households in England with chimney on home | UK | News | EUROtoday

Households in England are being warned they might face fines of as much as £300 in the event that they use their chimney over the winter relying on the place they reside and their native council’s guidelines.

While each home constructed earlier than the Nineteen Nineties in all probability has a chimney on the roof, most of us received’t have used it for many years or presumably ever, and the hearth itself might be blocked up and inaccessible.

But thousands and thousands of individuals throughout the nation nonetheless use their hearth to warmth their residence within the winter, with conventional fuels akin to coal, or have a wooden burner fitted into the chimney.

Unfortunately, in case your chimney begins belching out smoke, there are areas of the UK the place you may be reported to the native council and fined, due to a rule round Smoke Control Areas.

Smoke Control Areas have guidelines in place governing precisely how a lot smoke may be emitted out of your chimney. Smoke Control Areas are boundaries, agreed by native councils, which prohibit the usage of chimneys inside them.

This doesn’t simply restrict the quantity of smoke you’ll be able to produce from a chimney, however is a blanket ban stopping you from emitting any smoke out of your chimney in any respect. Many main cities in England fall below a Defra Smoke Control Area, together with most of London, in addition to most of Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Liverpool.

Section 19 of the Clean Air Act 1993 says it’s essential to pay £300 if an excessive amount of smoke is being launched out of your chimney should you reside in one of many areas coated by a Smoke Control Area.

As Direct Stoves explains: “The present restrict on the quantity of smoke your chimney can produce in a Smoke Control Area is 5g per hour, plus 0.5g for every kW of your range’s warmth output.

“However, there are plans to reduce this limit to 3g per hour, although when this will happen is not yet confirmed.

“These rules mean that only some people with a wood-burning stove or open fire will pay a fine for using it. Most modern wood burners available are DEFRA-approved, so many stove owners do not need to worry.

“If you want to upgrade an older wood burner that emits a lot of smoke or are considering installing a wood burner in your home for the first time, get an appliance that DEFRA has approved for use in Smoke Control Areas. A wood burner with this seal of approval is designed and tested to operate within the restrictions.”

Defra says in its guidance: “Open fires and wood-burning stoves have risen in popularity over recent years. Smoke from burning causes air pollution which harms the health of millions. We can work together to improve the quality of the air we breathe.

“Did you know that certain areas of the country are designated as ‘smoke control areas’?

“A smoke control area is a legally defined area where you cannot emit smoke from a chimney. You can be issued a financial penalty of between £175 to £300 if you break this rule.”

Cities in England that are absolutely or partly coated by a Smoke Control Area embrace:

London (all of London, besides West Ham)

Birmingham

Manchester

Sheffield

Leeds

Liverpool

Newcastle

Wakefield

Nottingham

Derby

Bristol

Bath

Stoke-on-Trent

Bradford

Preston

Leicester

Norwich

Peterborough

Hull

Doncaster

Wolverhampton

Worcester

Coventry

Milton Keynes

Reading

Portsmouth.