Jemima Hartshorn, of Mums for Lungs, emphasized the pressing issue of wood smoke pollution: 'If you open your door on a cold night in any town, city or village you can smell the wood pollution.' She adds, 'You wouldn't want a truck pumping air pollution into your front room, but ironically even modern wood stoves cause six times the fine particle pollution of an HGV.' This stark comparison highlights the severe health risks associated with wood burning.
Despite a significant rise in complaints about wood smoke pollution, the enforcement response from councils has been lackluster. In Birmingham, for instance, there were 783 complaints, yet no enforcement action was taken. This raises concerns about the effectiveness and readiness of local councils to tackle environmental health issues, suggesting that 'the current system is obviously not fit for purpose.'
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called for a ban on wood burning, noting its correlation with worsening asthma rates in children. Their position underscores a growing need to address smoke pollution from wood fires as a public health concern.
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