London mayor Sadiq Khan demands Britain BANS fireplaces and wood-burning stoves ‘to tackle air pollution’
The Labour politician has written to the government to seek new laws that would see the UK follow France's lead and ban open fireplaces and only allow low-emission stoves
WOOD burning could be banned in UK towns and cities in an attempt to tackle air pollution, under proposals suggested by Sadiq Khan.
Open fireplaces would be prohibited and only sales of low-emission stoves allowed.
London Mayor Khan has written to Environment Secretary Michael Gove seeking new laws.
Homeowners have also opened up old fireplaces which cause even greater pollution.
Up to a third of all fine particle pollution in London comes from domestic wood burning. In January it contributed half the toxins in some areas of the capital, King’s College found.
Mr Khan wants to “protect those who have bought stoves in good faith” but requested powers to ban burning of any wood or coal in “zero-emission zones”.
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Mr Khan's plans include curbing emissions from machinery on building sites, such as diesel-powered diggers, and boats on the Thames and also from stoves.
Around 200,000 wood-burning stoves are sold each year, and there are around 1.5 million across Britain, figures obtained by the Times show.
The practice is most popular in the South East, where it is done in 16% of households, with many mistakenly believing it is more environmentally friendly.
It is less popular up north, with just 5% in northern England and Scotland having wood-burning stoves.
What does the London mayor want to achieve?
- The power to ban the burning of wood in parts of London with poor air quality because of the fine particle pollution they cause
- Tougher controls on the sale of wood-burning stoves, with only low-emission versions allowed to remain on the market
- Under the proposals, there would be a network of "zero-emission zones" where the burning of wood or coal is completely prohibited.
- There are currently 187 areas of London where pollution regularly exceeds European limits
They could be created in 187 areas of the capital where pollution exceeds European limits.
Wood burning in open fireplaces was initially set to be banned in Paris over environmental concerns, however the ban was then scrapped just days before it was due to come into force in 2015.
The Stove Industry Alliance said emissions from the latest models were 80 per cent lower than those sold ten years ago.
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: "The mayor has written to Michael Gove discussing extra powers that could be granted to London to tackle sources of pollution that don't come from the roads.
"There are different categories including pollution from the river, construction and also the discussion about wood-burning stoves.
"One of the proposals for 2025 is having these very small zones to curb pollution caused by wood-burning stoves.
"It is one of a number of ideas and it would need legislation from government and it would be at least six years away from happening."
Under the mayor's plans, councils would get the power to enforce the ban, including the ability to carry out inspections and issue fines.
Air pollution causes an estimated 9,500 early deaths a year in London and 40,000 across Britain.
A new £10 "toxicity charge" is set to be introduced in October this year for pre-2006 diesel and petrol cars entering the London congestion charge zone.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is due to publish a clean air strategy next year.
