UK households putting on fire in September or October face £300 fines

UK households switching on their fire for the first time in September or October in a bid to keep warm are at risk of £300 fines. Many parts of the UK are smoke control areas where you cannot release smoke from a chimney, the Labour Party government has warned.

Other areas say you can only burn authorised fuel, unless you use an appliance approved by Defra (also known as an ‘exempt appliance’ or ‘Defra approved appliance’). In England you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you buy unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that’s not approved by Defra. In a smoke control area you can only burn fuel on the list of authorised fuels, or any of the following ‘smokeless’ fuels, unless you’re using a Defra approved appliance: anthracite, semi-anthracite, gas and low volatile steam coal.

READ MORE Drivers must pay £451 due to two new driving laws from October

Unauthorised fuels, such as wood, can only be burned in exempt appliances such as some boilers, cookers and stoves. You must only use the types of fuel that the manufacturer says can be used in the appliance. You can use outdoor barbecues, chimineas, fireplaces or pizza ovens in smoke control areas.

If your appliance uses a chimney on the roof of a building (for example, a summerhouse), you can only burn authorised fuel unless it’s an exempt appliance. You’re allowed garden bonfires in smoke control areas but you need to follow the rules on bonfires.

In a Smoke Control Area it is an offence to emit smoke from the chimney of a building, a furnace or any fixed boiler. The penalty for emitting smoke from a chimney in a smoke control area can be up to £300. It is an offence to buy or sell an 'unauthorised fuel' for use in a smoke control area unless it is used in an 'exempt' appliance. The maximum fine is £1000.