Allotment fires cause a bit of a stink on estate
ACRID SMOKE POURS INTO NEW TOWN HOMES
We are scared to leave the windows open for fear our houses will fill with smoke
FOUL-SMELLING smoke from allotment bonfires in Earl Shilton is polluting neighbouring homes, a resident has complained.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, moved into a new estate off Westfield Avenue, off Heath Lane, in April, and says that the “acrid” fumes have been polluting his garden and house several times a month ever since.
On one hot day in July, after leaving the windows open to cool the house, he said the stench filled the inside of his property.
The resident and his partner have also heard loud bangs coming from the plots while the smoke billows over.
He said: “We are scared to leave the windows open for fear our houses will fill with smoke.
“There’s safety concerns about it as well. There have been several occasions where it smells like chemicals have been burnt.”
The man previously lived at another home in Earl Shilton and moved to the new estate to have a larger house.
He has been in contact with
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough
Council to report the issue.
A spokesperson for the authority said 12 bonfires had been reported within a 14-week period and that officers had attended the site to try to find out who was starting them.
They said: “The difficulty is that sometimes the bonfires happen at evenings and weekends.
“We have already written to the owners of certain plots who we believe are burning to advise them that complaints have been made in an attempt to avoid impact from further fires.”
But the council said that as the allotments are individually owned, it may be difficult to find out who is responsible.
The houses are separated from the allotments by a tall hedge. If council officials can establish there is an incident of statutory nuisance,
which would include the impact of smoke from a bonfire, the council has powers to issue a notice requiring a land owner or tenant to stop what they are doing.
The spokesperson also said: “We will continue to gather evidence by officer visits where possible and, should we obtain sufficient evidence to indicate a continuous or persistent impact from an allotment holder, then we will consider enforcement options.
“If this information is not gained then no further action will be possible.”
Earl Shilton resident