"newsb" wrote in message
...
In article , Mike
writes

"newsb" wrote in message
...

And just to add to the other responses - I think there is (or should
be)
an unwritten law that implies that you:
shouldn't start a fire until after 19.00 in the summer if you have
neighbours - you might get away with 18.00 in the autumn/winter;
tell the neighbours in order to ensure they aren't leaving washing
out/entertaining in the garden.

--
regards andyw

There is no law, national that is, about bonfires. Unless there is a
local
byelaw, you can have a bonfire just when you like,


Hence the reference to unwritten law.

Call it garden etiquette if you will - or even behaving like a decent
human - but the post was pointing out the need to be considerate of your
neighbours, not the status in law.


Quite right, there are no specific laws governing domestic garden bonfires,
although a person deemed to be regularly causing a nuisance might expect
some attention from the Council, and anyone causing smoke from a bonfire to
obscure the highway might expect a visit from the police.

I am a little surprised by your advice one shouldn't start a bonfire until
after 19:00 in summer and 18:00 in winter, which would seem to imply it
would be fine to start a garden bonfire after dark. I've seen advice to the
effect one shouldn't do so after an hour before dusk. Further, that one
should not light bonfires at all on 'still' evenings, because the smoke etc
might hang around for hours.

Details aside, I agree the golden rule should be to treat one's neighbours
with the utmost consideration. Hopefully, including non-human neighbours,
like hedgehogs, for instance, which might mistake a pile of garden refuse
intended for the bonfire as an ideal hibernation site.