The restrictions do not amount to a ban on log burners. Instead, owners need to establish whether they live in a Smoke Control Area, whether their stove is exempt from the restrictions and whether the fuel they intend to burn is permitted. The requirements vary according to the appliance and, in some cases, the country in which it is being used.
How the £1,000 Log Burner Fine Can Apply
According to the Express, wood is classed as an unauthorised fuel in Smoke Control Areas unless it is burned in an appliance approved for that purpose. These appliances are commonly described as exempt or DEFRA-approved appliances.
A person who buys unauthorised fuel for use in a non-approved appliance can be fined up to £1,000. Owners of stoves that are not exempt must instead use authorised fuels when operating them in a Smoke Control Area.
An exempt appliance can burn certain unauthorised fuels, including wood, but only where the fuel is one that the manufacturer states may be used with that particular appliance. A stove being designed to burn wood therefore does not, by itself, mean that every type of wood may legally be burned in it within a Smoke Control Area.
The official smoke control appliance database lists exemptions separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The list supplied contains 3,405 entries and identifies individual appliance models, their manufacturers and their legal status in each of the four countries.
Among the appliances shown are the 100SE Smoke Exempt Woodburning Stove made by ESSE Engineering Limited and the 18i and 60i stoves manufactured by Jetmaster Fires Limited. The database also contains a number of Mercury Products Ltd models, with individual records showing their status across the four nations.
Fuel Rules and Separate Smoke Penalties
Households are advised to check with their local council whether their property is within a Smoke Control Area before using a stove. The fuel itself may also be subject to separate requirements. According to the Express, wood sold in England in quantities of less than two cubic metres must be certified as Ready to Burn. That certification means the wood has a moisture content of no more than 20%.
The supplied guidance also says households should not burn treated waste wood, including old furniture, pallets or fence panels, or household rubbish in their stoves, because these materials can release harmful pollutants.
The official appliance list includes further restrictions in its footnotes. It states that fuel must not contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals resulting from treatment with wood preservatives or coatings. A separate penalty may apply when smoke is released from a chimney in a Smoke Control Area. According to the Express, households in England can face a penalty of up to £300 for this offence.
The two penalties relate to different breaches: the £1,000 maximum concerns buying unauthorised fuel for use in a non-approved appliance, while the separate £300 penalty in England concerns smoke emitted from a chimney in a Smoke Control Area. Checking the appliance, its approved fuels and the local Smoke Control Area status determines which rules apply before a fire is lit.
