Anonymous letter demands wood burner ban for Sheffield

‘It’s got to stop!’ demands S10 postcode resident in strongly-worded complaint about local air quality sent to one of England’s leading regional newspapers.

An anonymous letter has been received by Sheffield Telegraph journalist Graham Wroe in response to an article published by the newspaper last year. The unknown and unnamed author is demanding steps are taken to ban wood burners in the South Yorkshire city, citing a range of health issues, rising vet bills and the ‘disgusting’ smell. 

‘I suffer with bad health issues connected to breathing problems like a lot of people and wonder how they are coping with this terrible thing. I get physically sick with it. I choke, cough, sneeze, wheeze and get terrible pains in my chest. It has also burnt my mouth which bleeds and blisters. The doctors can’t find anything to help with it been [sic] so constant. It’s unbearable at times. I think of the elderly, children, tiny babies and all animals, also people of ill health,’  the covert author said. 

‘It’s getting worse daily. You have a shower or a bath and minutes later you can smell the sooty / woody smell on you. It’s also in our house all the time. You can’t shut it out. It’s in the atmosphere constantly. There is never any fresh air about, just this awful sooty, woody, smoky atmosphere,’ they continued.  

The demand for a ban on wood burning is just the latest news in the ongoing ‘wood burning debate‘. In March, a study for the European Public Health Alliance found wood-based home appliances were responsible for around €17bn, 57% of the total health costs from air pollution. 

Image credit: Emerson Peters