Helpful Information from SNC on Bonfires

Smoking out your neighbours?  Do you enjoy your garden?  Your neighbours probably do also! So if you must have a garden bonfire take care not to annoy your neighbours.

Remember.  It is not an offence to have a bonfire, but it is an offence to create smoke which becomes a nuisance to neighbours.

This guidance applies to domestic settings only.  The disposal of commercial and trade waste is subject to various regulations which are not outlined in this leaflet.

Here are some useful tips

     Warn neighbours in advance

     Burn only dry material

     Never burn rubber, plastics or painted timber etc.

     Do not burn fresh “green” tree loppings

     Do not burn when wind will carry smoke towards neighbours’ properties or over roads

     Do not burn when weather conditions will cause problems – smoke hangs in the air on

     damp windless days

     Do not burn in the evenings

     Do not let fires smoulder overnight

     Only have a bonfire if you have no other means of disposal

Please note.  We would recommend that you take all your garden waste to your local civic amenity site or compost it for future use, or you could use a shredder to create wood chippings.

Did you know that over 25% of the contents of our dustbins including vegetable peelings, teabags and egg shells can be composted quickly and easily using compost bins, resulting in a nice soil conditioner for your garden?  Add grass clippings and other garden waste and we can reduce the amount of waste that would otherwise be disposed of through landfill.

If you are a Council tenant please check your tenancy agreement or with your Housing Officer as there may be restrictions to having bonfires.

What will the Council do regarding complaints?  If a neighbour complains, we will ask them to keep a record of the complaint over a 21 day period.  At the same time we will write informally to the person who the complaint is about to advise them that a complaint has been received.

If the problem persists, monitoring visits will be made to witness the problem.

For further information or to comment on this information please contact the Environmental Protection Team on 0845 230 0226