Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Bonfires

There is no doubt that bonfires cause air pollution - burning garden waste will produce smoke especially if it is damp and smouldering rather than dry and blazing.

This can have damaging health effects, but if exposure to bonfire smoke is short lived, serious harm is unlikely. However problems may be caused for susceptible people such as children, asthmatics, bronchitis sufferers or those with heart problems. Even if the immediate health risk is small, your bonfire will be adding to the general background level of air pollution.

Bonfires can also be dangerous from a safety point of view – spreading fire to fences or buildings, scorching trees and plants.

What is the alternative?

Do you really need to burn? Disposal methods, which are far less environmentally damaging, are available such as composting and recycling. Most garden and kitchen waste – even cardboard and paper- can be recycled into compost. Woody waste can also be shredded to make it suitable for composting or mulching. See our Garden waste and Recycling pages for information about how to safely dispose of waste.

What is the law relating to bonfires?

There are no specific by-laws to prohibit bonfires. If used sensitively, the occasional bonfire should not cause a major problem.

However, if a neighbour is causing a continuing nuisance by burning rubbish, there are legal powers that the Council can use to stop this. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is an offence to cause a statutory nuisance including from smoke and bonfires. To be considered a possible nuisance, the bonfire would have to be a regular problem and interfering substantially with your well-being, comfort or enjoyment of your property.

If you are bothered by persistent bonfire smoke it is best to approach your neighbour first and explain the problem. You may feel awkward, but they may not be aware of the distress they are causing and it might make them more considerate in the future. If this approach fails, contact the Environmental Protection Team – see the contact details on the right – so that they can investigate your complaint. If it is found that a statutory nuisance is being caused an abatement notice could be issued requiring the nuisance activity to stop. For more details see How to report an air pollution problem.

Finally, under the Highways (Amendment) Act 1986, anyone lighting a fire and allowing smoke to drift across a road faces a fine of up to £2,000 if it endangers traffic. This needs to be reported to the police.

Good bonfire guidelines

If you are determined to have a bonfire, follow these guidelines and the chances are you won’t cause a serious nuisance:

• Only burn dry material
• Never burn household rubbish, rubber tyres, or anything containing plastic, foam or paint
• Never use old engine oil, meths or petrol to light a fire or to encourage it
• Avoid lighting a fire in unsuitable weather conditions – smoke hangs in the air on damp, still days and in the evening
• Avoid burning when the wind will carry the smoke over roads or into other people’s property
• Avoid burning at weekends and on bank holidays when people want to enjoy their gardens
• Avoid burning when the air quality in you area is “poor” or  “very poor” - you can check this by ringing 0800 556677
• Never leave a fire unattended or leave it to smoulder – douse it with water if necessary   
• Always start with a small fire to create a hot core then feed it often with small quantities of material this will encourage the smoke to be burnt and minimise the amount smouldering and smoke generated by the fire.