Dear What’s the Law
What’s the law surrounding lighting fires in my garden?
There is no law to prevent you from lighting a fire in your garden, providing that what you are burning is not noxious or harmful.
Garden bonfires are capable of causing air pollution. The effects of air pollution can include smoke, smells, and chemical emissions.
Air pollution can affect your health or damage your property, for example, smoke may affect paintwork. The effects of the pollution may be delayed, and only become clear some time after the pollution occurs.
There is also the risk that a garden bonfire could become out of control and cross over to a neighbouring property.
However unintentional, causing damage to a person or their property could result in civil action being taken against you or worse criminal prosecution.
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