Your warm, cosy fire could be doing more harm than you think

The first-ever Clean Air Night takes place on 24 January, to shine a light on the harms of indoor wood burning and encourage people to stop.

Did you know that lighting fires in our homes is the largest source of harmful small particle air pollution in the UK? 

After transport, wood burning stoves and coal fires are the single largest source of the pollutant ‘PM2.5’ – tiny particles that once inhaled can increase the risk of stroke, asthma, lung cancer, heart disease and dementia. This is particularly concerning during the winter months for those with underlying respiratory or cardiovascular health conditions. 

Wood burning not only harms your health, but also your wallet and the planet. Pressures on household finances or desires to be more eco-friendly may tempt people to burn wood, but research actually shows that wood burning produces more CO2 than oil or gas and is almost always more expensive than other forms of heating.

Clean Air Night aims to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of wood burning and help you to protect yourself, your family and your community. 

As part of our Air Quality Action Plan, we are working with residents to tackle local sources of emissions, improve air quality and make the borough a nice place to be. We have also collaborated with 17 other local authorities to form the Defra-funded London Wood Burning Project, which aims to improve awareness of the health risks associated with wood burning. 

Learn more about wood burning in the borough by visiting our Smoke control, domestic wood burners and bonfires page.

Visit the Clean Air Hub to find out more about the harms of wood burning and share what you’ve learned with others.

If you need help heating your home, our Cost of Living Hub has information about a variety of local services that can support you.