rbel wrote in message ...
On Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:24:48 +0100, rufus rufus.nomailplease wrote:

Given concern about pollution, recycling, energy conservation, etc I
wondered how widely local authorities in UK have banned the burning of
garden rubbish? Locally, I have seen tobacco smokers being driven back
into their workplaces by clouds of smoke from garden bonfires!

There is no national legislation that bans garden bonfires. Some LAs
may have bylaws controlling them but I am not aware of specific cases
- try your LA web site.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Highways (Amendment) Act
1986 can be used to control problems resulting from bonfires such as
persistent [1] nuisance to neighbours and dense smoke causing hazard
for traffic.

[1] A typical bonfire once or twice a year is unlikely to be
considered a persistent or statutory nuisance, particularly if thought
is given to the timing of the burn and wind direction.


I would say it depends on the size of your garden and the proximity of your
neighbours. If you have a fairly small garden with close neighbours it will
certainly annoy them if you light one up too often.
Luckily, although my garden is narrow it is 156 yards long so I can burn
away to my heart's content half way down and no-one notices.
My council offer a brown bin for £26/year for disposing of garden waste,
emptied once a fortnight.
I could fill it easily in a few days at this time of year.

I do compost, but the woody cuttings, I allow to dry on top of the compost
heap and then I have a bonfire.

Tina