Open fire in back garden?

[jac428]

Are you allowed to have an open fire in your back garden in East Dulwich? I am not planning on this but have smelled smoke today coming from a back garden near Barry road.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Strictly speaking, no - we are in a smokeless fuel zone. But are you really going to dob your neighbours in it?

Alternatively it could be a house fire - 999?

[Nero]

Yeah, dob them in it if it is dangerous (in terms of potentially causing other fires in even less desirable places, like, er your house or your child's hair) or if it putters out lots of asthma-causing smoke, or even if it sullies your line-dried garments.

[Lowlander]

You are allowed, but if it's causing a serious problem then the council can do something about it.

If it's a one off then by the time the council come round the fire will probably be finished. I wouldn't bother in such a case.

[uncleglen]

Some years ago I had a problem with a neighbour lighting bonfires in their garden during the day- not at the end of the garden but near our adjoining fence near the house.

My daughter is asthmatic and was living with us so we had to keep all the windows closed (it was summer). This was crazy so we knocked on their door and asked if they would not do this and that they could have rubbish collected for free by the council. They seemed sympathetic but didn't put the fire out. So we wrote a very polite note with phone numbers etc for the collection service. Still the fires burned.

I phoned the council-they sent someone round, spoke to the neighbours and gave us leaflet- a green leaflet entitled 'Bonfires'. The rules WERE -one bonfire, once a month at dusk and burning for one hour and only garden waste.Except for 5th November. This did the trick (except for the abuse we got from the neighbour)

When we had that lovely spell of warm weather in March this year we called the environment team again for another long-burning horrible fire down the road. The person on the other end of the phone seemed to suggest that all those sensible rules in the leaflet had been relaxed- unfortunately.

(There is no need to burn stuff get the Council to collect- it could be builders because they would have to pay to dispose of stuff)

[damzel]

I saw the bonfire you are referring to as my garden backs onto the gardens on Barry Road. The fire didn't seem that huge when it started but when I came back from the shops, my house stank of it. It was so strong that I was actually worried that something was on fire in my house as all my windows and doors were closed. There's loads of building stuff in the garden so they might be doing some extensive works on the house. Perhaps they were burning building debris - hope they don't make a habit of it.

[shell]

Oh gosh.. this fire was in our garden. Its a building of five flats and the garden in being done.. but lots of inherited rubbish was there and it seems the gardeners are burning some of it. Its not dangerous at all and is contained but I'm so sorry its been a pain. I'm afraid the wind may have blown it in inconvenient directions. Its all but finished so please accept our apologies.. we absolutely will not be making a habit of it.

[damzel]

Hey Shell, thanks for posting. Good to hear its nothing more than that. I look forward to enviously peering at your newly landscaped garden soon!

[Sayroo]

... Or indoors? My partner and I are moving to ED shortly. The Victorian terrace (who'd of thought it?) we're buying has original fireplaces but the flume has been closed off. Have others reinstated these despite being in smokefree zone and managed ok with smokefree fuel?

[ianr]

That reminds me. I use South Bermondsey station very very occasionally, and at least twice I've had headaches from a weekday daytime waste fire burning in the adjoining industrial yard. Is it possible these fires are fairly frequent?

[Huggers]

our fires work fine on smokeless fuel Sayroo.

[Sue]

Sayroo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ... Or indoors? My partner and I are moving to ED

> shortly. The Victorian terrace (who'd of thought

> it?) we're buying has original fireplaces but the

> flume has been closed off. Have others reinstated

> these despite being in smokefree zone and managed

> ok with smokefree fuel?

xxxxxx

Yes you can burn smokeless fuel fine in the original fireplaces.

I've been doing that for twenty :-$ years in my Victorian terraced house.

[uncleglen]

I'm sure I read somewhere that although we are a smokeless zone and therefore should use the appropriate fuel we are allowed a Yule log!

[Lowlander]

We burn Homfire smokeless coal in our open fire through the winter, approved for smoke free areas

You can buy it from any petrol station in the cold months or online from coal merchants

Regular coal and logs are widely available (again petrol stations) although clearly marked "not for use in smoke free areas". I suspect a lot gets burnt after dark.

[Crystal Matt]

I have called the council twice about this

There is no real restriction unfortunately.

My neighbour in Crystal Palace Road, likes to burn cardboard and other waste , instead of recycling.

He usually waits for a nice hot day, when you have your windows open to keep cool,

The he stokes up the fire

Actually he hasnt a clue about how to do it, as he usually just gets a big smokey pile going, and fills the street and houses with smoke

AHHHHHHH !!!

[Callie]

I think these fires are awful & should definitely be banned. The fire yesterday stank out my house & made me feel very ill.

[The Minkey]

Once upon a time, it was just common courtesy not to burn rubbish on warm days/evenings when windows were likely to be open or washing out on the line. Nowadays people seem to care far less about what they do and how it might impact on those living near them. I suspect we'll see less Council intervention in anti-social behaviours due to the budget cuts as there's no one left to enforce them.

[Gidget]

Southwark Council's Environmental Health dept. and the Fire Department deal with these. Call EH first. It it is causing a nuisance they can tell you to put it out and they also have the power to fine miscreants.

[randombloke]

Being facetious I'd hesitate to open fire in the back garden for fear of starting off a "Police Helicopter flies over East Dulwich" thread on the EDF.

Gun crime=gang activity.

[northlondoner]

randombloke Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Being facetious I'd hesitate to open fire in the

> back garden for fear of starting off a "Police

> Helicopter flies over East Dulwich" thread on the

> EDF.

> Gun crime=gang activity.

NEVER open fire in a back garden. Unless it's against foxes.

[Sue]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We burn Homfire smokeless coal in our open fire

> through the winter, approved for smoke free areas

>

> You can buy it from any petrol station in the cold

> months or online from coal merchants

>

> Regular coal and logs are widely available (again

> petrol stations) although clearly marked "not for

> use in smoke free areas". I suspect a lot gets

> burnt after dark.

xxxxxx

The DIY shop in Lordship Lane at the Goose Green end also sells smokeless fuel.

[Sayroo]

Hurrah! A smoke free fire it'll be then - right after we've fitted the bi-folding doors :c) Thanks everyone