Log burners, wood-burning stoves and open fires should be banned, according to poll

Neil Shaw
·2-min read
Woman putting wood on a wood burning stove
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


A third of British residents believe that log burner installation should be banned in the UK, due to the harmful effects on the environment and the people that live in it. According to brand new data from MyBuilder.com, 33 per cent of people in the UK would support a ban on the installation and use of log burners in homes.

Younger people were very strongly in support of a ban, with 38 per cent of under 34s stating that they would like to ban the appliances. This dropped to just over a quarter (27 per cent) of over 55s supportive of the move.

Geographically, Edinburgh was the city where the most residents wanted to see the end of log burners, with nearly half stating that they would like a ban, compared to just 21 per cent of people living in Norwich.

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There are currently around 1.5million log burners within UK homes. Evidence suggests that open fires and log burners can lead to damaging air pollution both inside and outside the home. According to Clean Air Hub, lighting fires in our homes is the largest source of small particle air pollution in the UK. Even homes with "eco" wood burners are three times more polluted than those without. Wood burners and open fires produce more harmful PM2. 5 than road transport in the UK.

Jack Coles, a heating expert from MyBuilder.com, said: “Log burners can split opinion - while undoubtedly they aren’t the most environmentally friendly way of heating your home, they can be quite cost-effective and are very popular from an ambience perspective.

“There are measures you can put in place to protect from air pollution, but if you are concerned about open fires, there are many other heating systems you could consider.”

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