Wood-burners are vital for country dwellers
sir – You report (December 23) that “polluting wood-burners face curbs”.
I would like to point out to Michael Gove (who has launched a consultation on the matter), and other like-minded urbanites, that log-burning and smokeless fuelburning stoves are essential to rural dwellers, particularly in areas of the North. Here, a loss of electricity for 24 hours or more in stormy weather means that oil-fired boilers do not function – and there is no alternative source of heat available.
In such circumstances a log-burning stove is vital, not just a fashionable household item. These stoves are not as harmful as is often suggested, since they are rarely used for 24 hours a day, except when oil boilers cannot operate.
Mike Halligan
Skelsmergh, Cumbria