12
YOUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
IF YOU LIVE IN A UK
SMOKE CONTROL AREA
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
‘unauthorised 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 authorise 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 ‘authorised’ in Regulations
and that appliances used to burn
solid fuel in those areas (other than
‘authorised’ 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 at the following website:
www.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.
The AL910 Alpha III is not
recognised as a Smoke Exempt
Appliance and therefore if you
use this stove in a Smoke Control
Area you must only use approved
smokeless fuels. It will be illegal to
burn wood in it.
