The rules around burning wood in London have changed a lot over the last few years. Smoke Control areas have been introduced in many London Boroughs to help reduce the amount of polluting smoke being emitted and protect public health.
One of the most significant changes has been brought about by section 21 of the Clean Air Act 1993 which makes it an offence to emit ‘dark smoke’. The darker the smoke that’s produced when burning wood (or any fuel), the more polluting it is and the more serious the offence.
Since 1 May 2021, the Air Quality Solid Fuel regulations have been in force in England. This means that you can’t burn untreated wood, or anything else, unless you have a smoke control licence.
Experience has shown that the levels of pollution outside designated Smoke Control Areas are much lower than those recorded inside them. For example, London boroughs have set up Air Quality Management Areas – these are areas where not enough people are burning treated firewood to achieve the target level of Dark Smoke emissions (PM 10) agreed with DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs).
If you live in London, check with your local Borough council to find out whether you live in a smoke control area.
The type of wood you burn and what you choose to burn it in has a huge impact on the amount of pollution it creates.
Treated firewood is wood that’s had a lot of the moisture removed, commonly using kilns and is a process pioneered by Herefordshire based Certainly Wood. Kiln dried logs are up to 50% less polluting than unseasoned/untreated logs and they also offer more heat per log. When looking for this type of firewood, check to make sure the wood is Ready to Burn by looking for the Ready to Burn logo.
The Woodsure Ready to Burn scheme is the only firewood quality standard that covers the full range of air pollutants, including Dark Smoke (PM 10).
From this month (January 2022), new wood burning appliances will need to meet the EcoDesign standards. EcoDesign limits the amount of pollutants released when wood is burned so by burning kiln dried wood in an EcoDesign wood burning stove, significantly less pollution occurs.
If you’re unsure of the rules in your Borough, double check with your local council. Failure to follow these rules could result in a fine of up to £1000.