Hypocrisy of a Government that champions biomass while seeking to put out domestic fires

sir – The largest part of energy production from “renewables” comes from burning biomass. However, the main source of biomass is wood.

For the Government to ban one form of domestic log-burning (Letters, February 22) while endorsing stateoperated log-burning is another example of “green” hypocrisy. Dr Vernon Coleman

London WC1

sir – Sales of smokeless fuels that have a low sulphur content will be unaffected by the ban on domestic coal (report, February 21).

The term “smokeless fuel” belongs in the same category as “humane killer” and “maintenance-free roofing”. Whereas a domestic fire made from bituminous coal of reasonable quality will be burning brightly and smokelessly minutes after it has been lit, smokeless fuel, adulterated as it is by incombustible binder, typically takes about an hour to get going. Robin Dow

Rothesay, Isle of Bute sir – This proposed ban will undoubtedly call for an entirely new government department: the Office for Standards in Fuel Burning (Ofstfb).

I can see those government inspectors now, turning up in green coats with moisture meters to check, with great precision, all logs intended for sale on farms and country estates. Ian Johnson

Chelford, Cheshire

sir – In the early Eighties I worked in environmental health in London. One of my duties was enforcement of the clean air legislation. Part of the legislation referred to the prohibition of the sale of coal by coal merchants.

This had worked reasonably well, so that by the Sixties the trade of “coalman” had virtually disappeared. However, the legislation had a flaw. By the Eighties one could buy coal in bags as needed from local petrol stations. Petrol stations are not coal merchants, so the legislation did not apply.

I hope that officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have the knowledge and skills to draft new legislation that is easily enforceable. Bob Daunton

London W7

sir – Some commentators seem to think that all country people live in an isolated idyll miles from any neighbours, when in reality many rural settlements are fairly densely clustered. More importantly, this ban is intended to protect people, their customers and their families. The level of dangerous pollution from burning wet wood inside a dwelling is easily on a par with smoking. In any case, wood should always be seasoned properly before being burned.

Yes, Defra probably got it a bit wrong – for example, by seeking to ban certain types of reconstituted fuel – but on balance it seems an eminently sensible policy. And, by and large, country-dwellers can go on enjoying their log fires for many years to come. Ian Wallis

Bristol sir – I have a – possibly unique – way of supplying fuel for my open fire.

Take one Saturday edition of the Telegraph and supplements (less the sports section, which another member of the family won’t surrender), and place the complete contents into a third-hand electric cement mixer. Add a jug of water, switch on, throw in an old concrete block and run for 10 minutes on free electricity supplied by the solar panels. Chuck in a bucket of waste coffee grounds, obtained free from a certain supermarket which supplied the Telegraph, and mix for a further 10 minutes. Pour the coffee-flavoured papier mâché into an apple press, and squeeze. Season the resultant log for a few months and store in the greenhouse.

If a log is placed on the fire last thing at night, one comes down in the morning to a warm room plus a cylinder of warm water. The ash is good for the garden in several ways.

Where do I fit into the new rules? Graham Hobbs

Stroud, Gloucestershire