The Clean Air Act and smoke control

The Clean Air Act 1993 controls domestic and industrial smoke. This legislation and changes in fuel usage over the past 30 years have helped the UK to meet air quality standards for sulphur dioxide and particulate set by EU Directive 80/779/EEC. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 deals with other forms of statutory nuisance and pollution that does not emanate from a chimney. 

All of the City of Westminster has been a Smoke Control area since 1969 where the emission of smoke from chimneys of dwellings is prohibited. Smoke from industrial or commercial premises is carefully controlled by orders under the Clean Air Act. This means that only authorised fuels can be burned. These include:

• Gas, electricity, low volatile steam coals, coke
• Patent smokeless fuels such as Phurnacite, Coalite, Rexco, Taybrite and Geocite.
• Oil burning appliances like paraffin stoves may be used.

There is a recent trend for people living in cities to open up old fireplaces to resurrect the old open fire. This is illegal unless one of the above smokeless fuels is used. It is possible to ask for an exemption to a smoke control order in exceptional circumstances.

Wood burning stoves can be used, so as long as they are approved. However the council would prefer residents to use only very clean fuels such as gas or electricity to heat homes. Modern coal or wood effect gas fires look almost as good as a real fire (but perhaps never quite equal them asthetically) and are much cleaner and cheaper to run. Keep open fires for those homes in scarcely populated rural areas where fuel is readily available.