Gedling borough residents opting to combat the rising cost of living with energy-efficient cooking may risk themselves a hefty £1,000 fine.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service has been the latest Council within the country to reinforce the ‘smoke controlled’ area guidelines, following the rising demand for the energy-efficient wood-burning stove within the UK.
Under this law, residents living within these ‘smoke-controlled’ areas cannot emit a substantial amount of smoke from their chimneys, in order to limit the country’s air pollution.
Gedling Borough has several sections that have been labelled ‘smoke controlled’ areas, making the residents living within them legally liable for the smoke they produce.
Since its reinforcement, the Council has been inspecting burning fuels (wood) and educating the public living in these areas on their limitations under the Clean Air Act 1993.
This has made the residents using wood-burning stoves and suppliers of wood-burning fuels legally liable for the smoke they produce.
These guidelines highlighted on the Defra website, call for the use of smokeless fuels and specific appliances that produce less smoke when cooking.
Failure to follow these guidelines can result in the aforementioned fine of £1,000 fine.
Gedling Borough residents can find out if they live in a smoke control area by checking the Gedling Borough Council website.
Businesses that supply ready-to-burn fuel for wood-burning stoves and open fires are also under a legal obligation to sell regulated fuels that have earned a ready-to-burn certification.
This certifies that the fuel used has a moisture content of less than 20%, which in turn produces less smoke and reduces the overall pollution caused.
This also applies to manufactured fuel, which comes with its own ready-to-use certification/sticker and emission limit.
Once the fuel has been put on for sale, the suppliers are responsible for its storage, to ensure that their customers do not receive damaged or wet wood, and customer education, which includes information on the type of fuel and appliances they can use.
Further information on these guidelines can be found on Nottinghamshire County Council website, or the Business Companion Website.
