Air quality

At home

• Defra has launched a new winter 2023 / 2024 campaign aimed at households who use open fires and stoves as a form of heating or for decorative effect.  The campaign encourages householders to take action to reduce the amount of particulate matter emitted by their fire by taking 3 easy actions:
  • Check it - Get you stove checked regularly.
  • Sweep it - Have your chimney professional swept at least once a year.
  • Feed it - Use the correct 'Ready to Burn' fuels.

These actions will:

• Improve the air we all breathe by reducing the amount of pollution produced.
• Keep you and your family safe by reducing the risk of chimney fires.
• Help you get the most out of your stove or open fire so that it performs better - by using less fuel to produce more heat

More information can be found on the burn better section of the Defra website.

• burn clean dry wood that displays the Ready to Burn logo. Further information and guidance are available here: 
  • Restrictions on the sale of firewood, manufactured solid fuels and coal sold for combustion in domestic premises
  • Smoke and Smoke Control Areas
  • Independent Trading Standards advice on domestic burning at Trade Advice Document and Solid Fuel Advice (PDF) [203KB]
• service appliances regularly - get an annual RoSPA gas safety check of boilers, cookers and fires. 
• open windows or use an extractor fan when cooking with gas
• clean chimneys and vents
• install carbon monoxide alarms in every room where fuel is burnt
• don't burn candles or incense in small, enclosed spaces (like bathrooms) and open windows or use an extractor fan while you are burning them
• open windows for 5 - 10 minutes every day.  If you live on a main road, pick a time when traffic levels are low, outside of rush hour
• use environmentally friendly, chemical free cleaning products
• use solid deodorants rather than sprays
• to prevent condensation:
  • dry your washing outside whenever possible.  If drying indoors then open a window or use an extractor fan
  • fix leaks and water damage which will decrease humidity and therefore mould
  • keep homes between 19 - 21 degrees centigrade
  • use the extractor fans installed in kitchens and bathrooms.

Outside

• reduce the amount you use the car - can you walk or cycle instead?
• cut the numbers of cars making the same journey by car sharing
• use public transport for some of your journeys
• fly less
• turn off the car engine when you are not driving / waiting for someone
• don't override the auto stop function
• consider buying an electric vehicle
• don't burn waste, take it to the tip instead
• if you are walking or cycling avoid the main roads and use quieter side roads with less traffic
• change the times you make your journey, to avoid queuing in traffic
• greening up our cities.  All plants take in carbon dioxide and toxins and give off oxygen
• comply with the regulations on garden bonfires, smoke control areas and dark smoke.

If you would like to know more about the air quality within South Ribble and how you can help to reduce the pollution then please contact the Environmental Health Team on 01772 625625.