Fires are the most polluting way to heat British homes this winter

A fire may look cosy but it comes with a wider cost to people’s health and the economy. Photograph: Stavros Markopoulos/Getty Images

Winter is coming and lorries are delivering logs in streets near my house. Wood and smokeless fuels are being sold in local DIY shops and garages, and once again my neighbourhood is filled with the smell of smoke.

A fire may look cosy but it comes with a wider cost. Last year’s chief medical officer’s report recognised that solid fuels are by far the most polluting way to heat a home.