People could be fined £1,000 as blanket ban brought in

Edward Barnes
·3-min read
The village green at Thornton Hough which now be covered by the new restriction
-Credit: (Image: Liverpool Echo)


People could be fined up to £1,000 for breaching a blanket ban that’s being introduced to tackle air pollution in Wirral. The ban on burning certain things at home is being brought in by Wirral Council across all parts of the borough including parts of Bebington and Clatterbridge wards which previously had no restrictions.

In March, councillors approved the new ban unless anyone objected which would see no change for most Wirral residents as many areas are covered by 26 orders brought in gradually since 1958. The order will not apply to outdoor barbecues, chimineas or pizza ovens and the local authority has previously said it is not a ban on wood and coal burning stoves as well as garden bonfires.

Homes within Smoke Control Orders are not permitted to emit smoke from a chimney, boiler or furnace unless they are burning authorised fuels such as anthracite or semi-anthracite, gas or a low volatile steam coal. Unauthorised fuels such as wood or ordinary coal can only be burned in a smoke control area when using a DEFRA-approved appliance, one that is on their list of exempt appliances.

Earlier this year, the local authority proposed bringing in the new order to help enforce rules more easily. A council report brought to councillors said a borough wide policy would make things clearer given some orders have exemptions for buildings or fireplaces that no longer exist and were rolled out “in a fragmented and piecemeal fashion.”

Deaths in England linked to air pollution are estimated to be between 26,000 and 38,000 each year and of all deaths in Wirral, 4.9% are attributable to air pollution which is below the regional and national average. While air quality in Wirral does not exceed legal limits, a committee report said: “No safe level of exposure to air pollution has been identified, below which there are no negative health effects.”

Smoke control orders were first brought in due to the large number of deaths attributed to air pollution and smog, a fog caused by smoke, in 1952. However since then solid fuel has shifted from coal to wood which has led to an increase of small particles linked to “an increase in associated illnesses, such as the risk of pneumonia, COPD and lung cancer, as well as heart disease and stroke, leading to early death.”

Wirral has had no reduction in particulate matter pollution in the last five years but has a target to reduce this by 35% in 2040. Environmental Health officers can investigate complaints and anyone found guilty of breaching the Smoke Control Order could be fined up to £1,000.

Cllr Ann Ainsworth, Vice Chair of the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee for Wirral Council, said: “For the vast majority of residents, this represents very little change for them as they have already been living in a smoke control area.

“Replacing the existing 26 separate orders with a single Smoke Control Order for the borough effectively allows us to cover the remaining, more rural areas that weren’t subject to restrictions previously – areas such as Storeton, Thornton Hough and Raby.

“It will also enable officers to undertake more effective enforcement action, deliver consistent health messaging and ensure that only approved fuels and exempted appliances are used across the borough, which will improve air quality across Wirral and reduce pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) that are damaging to people’s health.”

Details of the proposals are being published on the council website - https://www.wirral.gov.uk/environmental-problems/pollution-control/smoke-control-areas. They can also be viewed at Birkenhead Town Hall between 9am and 5pm on weekdays for six weeks from 28th August 2024.

Anyone who may be affected by these Orders can make a formal objection by writing to Environmental Health, Wirral Council, PO BOX 290, Wallasey, CH27 9FQ or to the Secretary of State at Air Quality and Industrial Emissions, DEFRA, Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. Email: Air.Quality@defra.gov.uk

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