There are no byelaws prohibiting domestic bonfires in our district. There are, however, some rules that you must abide by, and we always ask that you are considerate and take steps to minimise the impact to your neighbours.
The Law (Environmental Protection Act 1990)
You cannot burn the following items under any circumstances:
- Plastics
- Treated wood (painted, varnished, tanalised timber etc)
- Tyres or other rubber
- Commercial Waste – contractors are not permitted to burn any waste when they are working at your property, unless they have a permit. Without a permit, all commercial waste must be removed from site.
- General household refuse.
- Any waste that will give rise to noxious or dark smoke
- You cannot cause a statutory smoke nuisance at any other property. This is judged on how much smoke is reaching their home.
Minimising the impact to others
- We generally ask that the burning of material is only conducted as a last resort.
It is harmful to the environment and is more than likely to impact on someone else in their home.
- If you have no choice but to burn garden waste (or other permitted waste) then please speak to your neighbours and/or let them know when you are planning on having a bonfire and how long it will last for. That way, people can make sure their windows are closed, and they don’t have washing on the line.
- If your neighbours are not in, then please be mindful of open windows and washing on lines before you start a bonfire.
- Please allow any garden waste to fully dry out before you burn it. Green, freshly cut waste will give rise to much more, and stronger, smoke.
- Having bonfires early in the morning or later in the evenings is less likely to negatively affect your neighbours.
- Avoid having bonfires on very warm days or nights as people need to have windows open.
- Please consider any wildlife that may be hibernating in garden waste, wood piles or stacked old furniture. Try to disturb the waste and do not set fire to it until you are certain no animals are present.
- Please consider wind direction and strength before burning waste or deciding on where to locate a bonfire. If the wind is blowing away from neighbouring properties, the smoke is less likely to cause a problem.
- Always ensure that a bucket of water or a functioning hose is available nearby, in case your bonfire becomes out of control. Never leave a fire unattended at any time.
There are other easy ways to dispose of rubbish instead of having a bonfire. For example:
View our recycle or compost kitchen waste
View the list of household waste recycling centres
Information and advice regarding Nuisance Bonfires August 2019 (PDF, 132KB)
Report a bonfire to us
If smoke from a neighbouring house or business is affecting your quality of life, let us know using the online form.
You will need to:
Log into your MyAccount (or create an account if you don't already have one) to complete the form. MyAccount is an easier and quicker way to interact with us and is available 24/7.
Tell us as much as you can about: