Domestic wood burning: 15,000 complaints, just 24 fines

A new Freedom of Information request by Mums for Lungs has revealed that, despite more than 15,000 complaints about toxic wood smoke across England, just 24 fines have been issued in the year between September 2024 and August 2025

Data released under the Act shows 15,195 complaints about wood burning, including 9,274 in designated Smoke Control Areas (compared to 5,600 in the previous year) where emissions are supposed to be restricted. Yet enforcement remains almost non-existent, with an average of more than 600 complaints required before a single fine is imposed.

Furthermore, the number of complaints has risen sharply – up 65% from last year – possibly reflecting both growing public concern and the proliferation of wood burners in urban neighbourhoods.

The campaign group observe that health professionals are increasingly alarmed by the rise in lung cancer among non-smokers, particularly younger women, with research suggesting that exposure to indoor wood or coal smoke may contribute to this trend.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called for domestic wood burning to be phased out in urban areas, warning that air pollution is now the second leading cause of death among children under five in the UK and globally.

Exposure to PM2.5 is linked to strokes, heart and lung disease, dementia, and cancer. The Royal College of Physicians estimates that air pollution costs the UK economy over £27 billion a year in healthcare and lost productivity. A University College London study recently found that people using solid fuel wood burners experience a faster decline in lung capacity compared with non-users.

Yet, three years after the Government pledged to tighten smoke emission limits for new stoves under its Environmental Improvement Plan, no legislation has been introduced. While EU nations move to align air quality laws with World Health Organization standards, the UK’s review of its plan remains unpublished.

According to the data they received Mums for Lungs found the following local authorities to be the most  invested in warning households on the back of complaints received:

1. Calderdale Council – 206 warning letters
2. Wolverhampton Council – 160 warning letters
3.  Swale Borough Council – 127 warning letters
4. North Northamptonshire Council – 105 warning letters
5. Blackpool Council – 97 warning letters

The 1,258 complaints received by  Swale Borough Council was the most of any local authority, with Birmingham (862) and Manchester (391) in 2nd and 3rd.

Mums for Lungs are calling on the Government to:

1. Phase out domestic wood burning and assist those in rural areas and those in fuel poverty to transition to cleaner heating;
2. Stop classifying wood burning stoves as ‘DEFRA-exempt’ or ‘DEFRA-approved’ as this gives consumers the false reassurance that these stoves are healthy to use.
3. Run an effective public health campaign, through DEFRA and the Department of Health and Social Care, raising awareness of the health impacts of burning, asking people not to burn.

Jemima Hartshorn, founder of Mums for Lungs, said: ‘The Government claims to have world-leading laws on air pollution, but they are meaningless if they are not enforced. Families across the country are suffering from neighbours’ burning, yet even after thousands of complaints, barely a handful of fines have been issued. This is a public health failure hiding in plain sight and it is making us sick: people are being left to choke in silence.’

Dr Sinead Millward, NHS GP from Levenshulme said: ‘As a GP, I’m regularly seeing the effects of air pollution in my patients – unfortunately I see it often in children. It’s deeply frustrating to watch more and more young people developing asthma, lung infections, and long-term respiratory issues, triggered or worsened by air pollution including exposure to fine particles from wood smoke.

‘These particles penetrate deep into growing lungs, and there is no safe level of exposure for children. If we’re serious about protecting our most vulnerable, we must take action on wood burning in our communities.’

One of many people commenting on the new data is Ben: ‘In Central London wood smoke isn’t rustic, it’s reckless. My son didn’t ask for a bonfire in his bedroom but wood smoke seeps in even with windows shut. Despite being in a smoke control zone, he is choking on other people’s winter “charm”’.

The topic of wood burning and cooking practices will be covered by the discussion panel at next month’s National Air Quality Conference in London.