HOW TO LIMIT THE DAMAGE

OPEN fires contribute more to pollution of the outdoor air than stoves (which burn hotter and create less smoke) — and they also pollute the air inside the home.

But with the evidence stacking up against both, what can you do to modify their potential threat to your health and the wider environment?

The type of wood you burn can make a difference. The Government’s proposed new guidelines on clean air, published recently, are not specific but suggest they will include restricting the sale of recently felled ‘wet’ wood that has not been allowed to dry, as it emits twice as much smoke as matured logs.

Burning reclaimed construction wood that contains harmful metals to prevent rot and woodworm, and old painted wood that can contain lead, can also produce high levels of pollutants. Defra is backing a ‘clean’ wood labelling scheme called ‘Ready to Burn’.

Meanwhile, new rules could be brought in to ensure wood-burning stoves are less polluting in future, though a complete ban seems unlikely.