Air Quality

Rules on bonfires

Domestic bonfires

You can have domestic bonfires at any time BUT if the smoke, fumes, or ash etc cause a nuisance to neighbouring residents an offence may be committed and Environmental Health may take formal or informal action against the person responsible for the fire. An assessment of nuisance may include any of the following:

Contamination of laundry on a washing line
Having to close windows on a warm day
Unable to sit in a garden

A nuisance can also be caused due to a one-off fire if it's deemed bad enough by the Environmental Health Officer.

Quick Tips for those considering a fire;

If at all possible - DON’T. Compost green/garden waste. If you have more than will fit in a bin, hire a skip or take the waste to the Caister Tip.
Only burn clean dry material such as wood or paper. Do not burn plastics, paints/paint covered material, roofing felt, green waste or other material that creates smoke, noxious fumes or fine ash.
Tell your neighbours (this does not give you exemption from causing a nuisance though). Do not have frequent fires.
Respect the law, the householder is under a duty of care to dispose of your waste responsibly - see also the National Society For Clean Air (NSCA) website

Commercial/Industrial Bonfires

The same nuisance rules apply as above plus;

Do not burn any material that gives rise to dark smoke such as paints, plastics, tyres etc. This is likely to lead directly to prosecution.
Do not burn electrical cable to recover the metal.
Do not burn straw or stubble left in a field.
The operator is under a Duty of Care to dispose of waste according to the law.

Please note that;