No prosecutions made after 15,195 wood-burning complaints in a year in England

In smoke control areas alone, 9,274 complaints were made – a 65% increase on the previous year. Photograph: Parmorama/Alamy

Not one prosecution for illegal wood burning has been made in the past year, despite 15,195 complaints across England, data shows.

Additionally, just 24 fines were issued by local authorities between September 2024 and August 2025, responses to freedom of information requests by the campaign group Mums for Lungs revealed.