A ban on wood- burning stoves should be considered in London as they are having a “big impact” on air pollution, health experts have said.
Professor Frank Kelly, professor of community health and policy at Imperial College London, called on policymakers to be “more inventive and progressive” in their approach to wood burners and said it is something “which could be legislated against” to protect the health of Londoners.
Wood burners are the single largest source of tiny air pollution particles in the UK but just 8 per cent of Britons burn solid fuels indoors.
Government data shows that emissions of harmful pollutant PM2.5 from domestic wood burning increased by 124 per cent between 2011 and 2021. It represented a fifth (21 per cent) of total PM2.5 emissions in 2021.
PM2.5 can penetrate deep into lungs and the blood and cause serious health problems including coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.
Sales of two of the most polluting fuels, wet wood and house coal, have been phased out under laws introduced by the Government. New wood burners have also been required to meet an “eco” standard since last year, but a Government report found these remain a significant source of pollution.
Speaking to the Standard at a briefing hosted by Imperial, Prof Kelly said: “By their nature, wood burners don’t affect the property they are actually being used in because most stoves are tightly sealed. But this means that emissions go up the chimney and down into your neighbour’s garden… So, it is having a big local impact.
“We should be striving to make our air quality much better and therefore need to be thinking of all sectors where we can improve.”
Earlier this year, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan implemented planning guidance which set air pollution limits for home and office developments that would not be met if wood burners were installed.
However, councils have only issued a handful of £300 fines to homeowners who have broken air pollution rules by burning wood indoors – despite tens of thousands of complaints.
Polling conducted for the Guardian earlier this year found that more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of Londoners backed a ban on wood burners. Support for a ban was significantly higher in the capital than any other region in the country.
