Our elderly neighbours heat their house with a Rayburn and burn anything that's combustible. At least twice a day on all but the hottest of days our garden is inundated in black, acrid smoke. My bedding smelt of it yesterday - it must have been hung on the line before the recent heatwave. We are already discussing moving because of it and the impact it is having on our health and our 4month old daughter. What can we do about it? Nothing.
I can understand your situation @McRazz. I had some neighbours who lit fires outside regularly, throughout the year, not to burn waste but to provide heat while they sat outside drinking into the early hours! There was one incident when they placed a BBQ as close to the kitchen door as they could but under the wooden roof eaves. A big cloud of smoke soon developed which must have alerted other neighbours as two fire engines turned up! Another time, they put the embers of the fire in their rubbish bin after a drinking session and it caught fire. The lack of concern and selfish parking persuaded me to move.
A woodburner at at ground level throws out white smoke that smells too, possibly green wood? Guess the owners are unaware as they are inside but are they getting the fumes too? On a sunny winter days had to go back inside from the garden.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I wonder if many people know (or care!) that it’s illegal to leave your car engine idling on a public road, detailed below:
Also known as stationary idling, Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 prohibits leaving your engine on when it is not needed. This act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states “you must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road”.
It took me almost 2 years to persuade the various local bus/coach companies to stop the practice. Others - taxis, delivery drivers and private vehicle owners will usually be reasonable once the problem they are causing is pointed out to them. Others tho are more intractable and will also swear that it is NOT against the road traffic act and they are not committing a fineable offence. I doubt anyone actually gets fined for this which just helps enforce the myth.
So many comments; thanks for giving me alot to think about. Many different perspectives etc. I am going to reply when the heat dissipates, as I feel too wound up with the heat and pollution at present, but would say that smoke pollution is real and there are so many factors that can make it worse, and when it lingers thickly it is a nightmare and I feel for anyone who has suffered really badly.
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
I have broken so many electric paper shredders in my time, that I now burn all my sensitive papers, old bills, anything with our name and address on. I’ve recently bought a small cheap chimera especially for this - I used to use a mini metal incinerator, but I’ve burnt through a few of those too. I only do a small amount at a time and supervise it carefully, as well as making sure I don’t burn on a day when there might be people or washing out. I do find it really good fun too! However, I never burn anything else, waste gardening stuff goes in the green bins or gets taken to the tip. It’s really annoying when neighbouring properties burn quantities of rubbish, especially if there is an inversion layer and the smoke hangs around instead of dispersing. It’s usually their builders, who get charged if they take stuff to the tip in their vans. Local residents who own vans have to get permits now to take their own rubbish to the tip.
I tear off from printed documents addresses, bank codes etc and dunk them in a bowl for a while having first torn the paper into slightly smaller shreds. I then scrunch up the paper into balls the size of an orange, squeeze out excess water and leave it to dry. The finished papier maché product is impossible to tear apart or be read.
Our elderly neighbours heat their house with a Rayburn and burn anything that's combustible. At least twice a day on all but the hottest of days our garden is inundated in black, acrid smoke. My bedding smelt of it yesterday - it must have been hung on the line before the recent heatwave. We are already discussing moving because of it and the impact it is having on our health and our 4month old daughter. What can we do about it? Nothing.
I can understand your situation @McRazz. I had some neighbours who lit fires outside regularly, throughout the year, not to burn waste but to provide heat while they sat outside drinking into the early hours! There was one incident when they placed a BBQ as close to the kitchen door as they could but under the wooden roof eaves. A big cloud of smoke soon developed which must have alerted other neighbours as two fire engines turned up! Another time, they put the embers of the fire in their rubbish bin after a drinking session and it caught fire. The lack of concern and selfish parking persuaded me to move.
Some people are generally just inconsiderate, whilst others are just ignorant and set in their ways. The latter applies to my neighbours. We do have BBQ's, and even had the occasional bonfire as when we first moved in and had a lot of stuff to clear. We always warn our neighbours and keep the BBQ about 20metres from the house and i absolutely won't light a bonfire unless the wind is a brisk South Westerly which ensures the smoke blows harmlessly away from all the properties. As others have said, with a little effort and planning we've actually managed to avoid bonfires altogether this year.
A woodburner at at ground level throws out white smoke that smells too, possibly green wood? Guess the owners are unaware as they are inside but are they getting the fumes too? On a sunny winter days had to go back inside from the garden.
Yes, green wood is quite distinctive. So too is treated wood and other nasties. There was about a week last year where whatever it was he burnt it was like having cayenne pepper blown into your face, very unpleasant. Having grown up in old properties with open fires I'm very familiar with the burn of 'clean' seasoned wood and find it the least offensive, even pleasant at times. We're all feeling the pinch at the minute and I'm not one to begrudge my elderly neighbours simply heating their home even if it is a bit antisocial, however they need to be doing it properly.
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Guess the owners are unaware as they are inside but are they getting the fumes too?
On a sunny winter days had to go back inside from the garden.
Others - taxis, delivery drivers and private vehicle owners will usually be reasonable once the problem they are causing is pointed out to them. Others tho are more intractable and will also swear that it is NOT against the road traffic act and they are not committing a fineable offence. I doubt anyone actually gets fined for this which just helps enforce the myth.
However, I never burn anything else, waste gardening stuff goes in the green bins or gets taken to the tip. It’s really annoying when neighbouring properties burn quantities of rubbish, especially if there is an inversion layer and the smoke hangs around instead of dispersing. It’s usually their builders, who get charged if they take stuff to the tip in their vans. Local residents who own vans have to get permits now to take their own rubbish to the tip.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.