Hammersmith & Fulham Council Considers Bonfire Ban
Proposed byelaw aims to bring down pollution levels
Council says existing restrictions on bonfires are 'reactive'
May 8, 2025
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is considering creating a byelaw that would ban people from having bonfires in their gardens in its push to bring down pollution levels.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council said the new byelaw would exclude barbeques, domestic fire-pits and indoor wood burning, and instead relate to the burning of household and garden waste outside.
According to data provided by the council, 14per cent of the borough’s particulate emissions in 2019 came from domestic wood burning both indoors and outdoors. Meanwhile, Public Health England found the number of deaths attributed to particulate air pollution in the borough in 2023 was 6.3pc – one per cent higher than the England average.
This places the borough as the 11th worst local authority in England for the health impacts of particulate pollution. Particulate pollution, also known as particulate matter (PM), refers to the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air. These particles come in various sizes and shapes, and can be either naturally occurring or human-made.
A report by the council read, “Outdoor fires and wood burning create harmful particulate matter emissions, for which it is considered there is no safe level. Short term exposure to high particulate matter emissions can cause asthma episodes and play a part in a multitude of other longer-term effects.
“Restricting outdoor fires in this way will also have climate adaptation and resilience benefits, through reducing the risk of fires becoming out of control in warmer and drier weather.”
A new byelaw can take up to six months to establish and will require Hammersmith and Fulham Council to carry out a public consultation. An outline of the byelaw must also be approved by the Secretary of State.
The council must also study the borough’s domestic wood burning emissions to understand the true level of emissions from the burning of domestic and garden waste. It will also need to carry out analysis on the impacts of outdoor fires on public health.
The council said it does not currently hold data on the precise proportion of particulate emissions caused from outdoor fires. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the council has a responsibility to look into complaints about smoke from premises deemed a ‘statutory nuisance’.
The council can then serve an abatement notice, which requires whoever is responsible to stop or restrict the smoke. But Hammersmith and Fulham Council said this law is “reactive” and relies on it causing a nuisance to someone, and does not prohibit burning, so the new byelaw is needed to stop people having bonfires in the first place.
Adrian Zorzut - Local Democracy Reporter