Domestic fuel ban

sir – My village has no gas supply; my house has oil-fired central heating and a log burner (Letters, February 24). Which should I abandon first in the interests of curbing global warming – the oil or the wood? Angela Lawrence

Woodbridge, Suffolk

sir – Every Sunday evening I sit in my favourite armchair and contemplate what is to be achieved in the coming week. In winter, this is undertaken while watching a fire fuelled by oak and ash from the local estate, with a shovel or two of British coal added to the bottom for extra heat.

Last week I looked up at the bookshelves and wondered if I should add to the fire my copy of Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way by Lars Mytting, along with other books that advocate the virtues of chopping wood and open fires.

E M C Shakespeare

Newbury, Berkshire

sir – The debate over smokeless fuel is not new. My wife’s grandmother, born in Edinburgh in the latter part of the 19th century, was a member of the Smokeless Fuel Society.

Here in Northumberland, there is hope springing from our sustainable forests for those soon to be bereft of coal. One company produces heat logs formed from compressed sawdust, which burn more efficiently than unseasoned green wood. Canon Alan Hughes

Berwick-upon-tweed, Northumberland

sir – The Government’s plan to phase out the use of wet wood for use as domestic fuel is sensible and overdue.

It will certainly help to reduce harmful emissions. It is also unlikely to result in significant inconvenience or extra cost for the vast majority of users. Those, like me, who regularly burn wood to heat their homes invariably opt for fully seasoned wood instead of wet logs, which are difficult to light and, though cheaper to buy, give off less heat and are therefore more costly overall.

Frequent use of unseasoned wood also coats glass stove fronts and chimney linings with resin. With chimneys, this creates a fire risk. Robert Ryder

Colwinston, Glamorgan

sir – When I marked the ballot paper, I thought I was helping to get Boris Johnson into office; I think I must have checked the wrong name as we seem to have the Greens in government. Philip Hall

Petersfield, Hampshire