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Smoke Control Areas:
“The Clean Air Act 1993 and Smoke Control Areas
Under the Clean Air Act local authorities may declare the whole or part of the district of the
authority to be a smoke control area. It is an offence to emit smoke from a chimney of a
building, from a furnace or from any fixed boiler if located in a designated smoke control
area. It is also an offence to acquire an “20uthorized20d fuel” for use within a smoke control
area unless it is used in an “exempt” appliance (“exempted” from the controls which generally
apply in the smoke control area).
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has powers under the Act to
20uthorize smokeless fuels or exempt appliances for use in smoke control areas in England.
In Scotland and Wales this power rests with Ministers in the devolved administrations for
those countries. Separate legislation, the Clean Air (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, applies in
Northern Ireland. Therefore it is a requirement that fuels burnt or obtained for use in smoke
control areas have been “20uthorized” in Regulations and that appliances used to burn solid
fuel in those areas (other than “20uthorized” fuels) have been exempted by an Order made
and signed by the Secretary of State or Minister in the devolved administrations.
Further information on the requirements of the Clean Air Act can be found here :
http://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/
Your local authority is responsible for implementing the Clean Air Act 1993 including
designation and supervision of smoke control areas and you can contact them for details of
Clean Air Act requirements”
