Smoke Control Areas
Under the Clean Air Act local authorities may declare the whole or part of their borough to be a smoke control area.
It is an offence to emit smoke from a chimney of a building, from a furnace or from any fixed boiler if located in a designated smoke control area. It is also an offence to acquire an 'unauthorised fuel' for use within a smoke control area unless it is used in an 'exempt' appliance ('exempted' from the controls which generally apply in the smoke control area). The current maximum level of fine is £1,000 for each offence.
The areas within Rushcliffe which have been declared smoke control areas are West Bridgford and Edwalton.
Garden bonfires are not included in the smoke control exemption, and therefore bonfires are still permitted in these areas.
Authorised fuels
Authorised fuels are fuels which are authorised by Statutory Instruments (Regulations) made under the Clean Air Act 1993 or Clean Air (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. These include inherently smokeless fuels such as gas, electricity and anthracite together with specified brands of manufactured solid smokeless fuels. These fuels have passed tests to confirm that they are capable of burning in an open fireplace without producing smoke.
Exempt appliances
Exempt appliances are appliances (ovens, wood burners and stoves) which have been exempted by Statutory Instruments (Orders) under the Clean Air Act 1993 or Clean Air (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. These have passed tests to confirm that they are capable of burning an unauthorised or inherently smoky solid fuel without emitting smoke.
Advice on open fires and wood-burning stoves
The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs has a practical guide on open fires and wood-burning stoves and how to reduce the environmental and health impacts these cause: