The rural poor ‘will freeze’ over fuels ban
Our blazing grates are needed
COUNTRYSIDE: Warnings have been given that the rural poor will “freeze in their homes” after a ban on the most polluting fuels was announced.
Plans to phase out the sale of house coal and wet wood have been confirmed, as part of efforts to tackle tiny particle pollutants which can penetrate deep into lungs and the blood.
WARNINGS HAVE been given that the rural poor will “freeze in their homes” after a ban on the most polluting fuels was announced by the Government.
Plans to phase out the sale of house coal and wet wood have been confirmed, as part of efforts to tackle tiny particle pollutants known as PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into lungs and the blood and cause serious health problems.
Wood burning stoves and coal fires are the single largest source of PM2.5, contributing three times as much of the pollution as road transport, the Environment Department (Defra) said.
So sales of two of the most polluting fuels, wet wood and house coal, will be phased out from 2021 to 2023, to give householders and suppliers time to move to cleaner alternatives such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels.
These produce less smoke and pollution, and are cheaper and more efficient to burn, officials said.
Environment Secretary George Eustice, said: “Cosy open fires and wood-burning stoves are at the heart of many homes up and down the country, but the use of certain fuels means that they are also the biggest source of the most harmful pollutant that is affecting people in the UK.
“By moving towards the use of cleaner fuels such as dry wood we can all play a part in improving the health of millions of people. This is the latest step in delivering on the challenge we set ourselves in our world-leading clean air strategy.”
Sales of all bagged traditional house coal from shops will be phased out by February 2021, and the delivery of loose coal direct to customers via approved coal merchants will end by February 2023.
Sales of wet wood in units of under two cubic metres will be restricted from sale from February 2021, to allow for existing stocks to be used up.
Wet wood sold in larger volumes will need to be sold with advice on how to dry it before burning from this date, the Government said.
Manufacturers of solid fuels will also need to show they have a very low sulphur content and only emit a small amount of smoke.
But critics said this would hit the poor who live in rural areas, as the alternatives are more expensive.
Ian Gregory, an independent lobbyist for the fuel industry, said: “This is appalling news for the rural poor. Nearly four million people are off the gas grid in the UK. Many of them keep their homes warm with coal because they can’t afford briquettes which cost twice as much.
“As they won’t be able to pay for briquettes they will use readily accessible wet wood which is far more polluting than coal. People will freeze in their homes and there will be no reduction in harmful emissions.”
Many keep homes warm with coal because they can’t afford briquettes.
Ian Gregory, an independent lobbyist for the fuel industry.
THERE WILL be many in Yorkshire dismayed by new restrictions on household stoves and open fires. The blazing grate is the welcoming heart of many homes, especially at this time of year when the weather is grim.
Rural residents, in particular, will feel a sense of grievance at the Government’s crackdown on open fires.
The countryside is where woodburners are most popular, thanks to a plentiful supply of fuel, and its people might well consider themselves to have been unfairly targeted, because Britain’s most polluted places are its cities.
The Government risks accusations that it is pointing a finger of blame for pollution at the wrong people, by targeting householders rather than industry.
After all, Britain is still burning coal to generate power and plans to do so until 2024. And the country’s first new deep coal mine for decades, in Cumbria, is soon to start production.
Nevertheless, there is consensus between the Government and public on the need to reduce pollution for all our sakes, and households have their part to play in that.
Emissions cause serious health problems, and the country wants to see them minimised.
Viewed in that light, the Government’s measures appear sensible. It has not attempted to ban stoves or open fires, which would have been deeply unpopular and impossible to police.
The new restrictions will allow the burning of dry wood and manufactured solid fuel when household coal is no longer sold, and that means the comfort of a roaring fire remains with us for a wee while yet.