284 people have died due to pollution from wood burning stoves
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A project funded by the Mayor is seeking to ERADICATE wood burning stoves from London.
Under current rules, smokeless wood burners allow Londoners to have wood fires in their home. But the London Wood Burning project, which is funded by the Mayor of London, says wood burners cause unnecessary pollution.
According to the project, there are an estimated 4,000 premature deaths each year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution.
284 of these are from domestic wood burning.
Gillian Rogers leads the London Wood Burning project. She says her research shows people aren’t using wood burners for essential reasons, but because they “create a nice atmosphere”.
Wood burner owners are often high earners / Credit: AP Photo, Seth Wenig
This hasn’t put people off
Josh Firkins, a chimney sweep of twenty years, says he has seen many more houses in London with wood burning stoves.
He says his customers are overwhelmingly white and rich.
Research from the London Wood Burning project shows that the majority of wood burner users earn over £100k.
However, Laura Horsfall, a health scientist at UCL, agrees that wood burners cause avoidable pollution.
“The modern sort of fuels and stoves, they don’t produce visible smoke but they are producing lots of invisible smoke”.
Industry bosses have insisted that as long as they’re used properly, modern stoves are much cleaner than they used to be.
But the government is currently considering new restrictions on home wood burners, and Laura says she “wouldn’t be surprised if they phase them out of urban areas completely.”
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Standfirst
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HeadlineAre wood burners going up in smoke?
Short HeadlineWood burners under threat from Mayor
StandfirstThe majority of people with wood burners earn over £100k
A project funded by the Mayor is seeking to ERADICATE wood burning stoves from London.
Under current rules, smokeless wood burners allow Londoners to have wood fires in their home. But the London Wood Burning project, which is funded by the Mayor of London, says wood burners cause unnecessary pollution.
According to the project, there are an estimated 4,000 premature deaths each year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution.
284 of these are from domestic wood burning.
Gillian Rogers leads the London Wood Burning project. She says her research shows people aren’t using wood burners for essential reasons, but because they “create a nice atmosphere”.
Wood burner owners are often high earners / Credit: AP Photo, Seth Wenig
This hasn’t put people off
Josh Firkins, a chimney sweep of twenty years, says he has seen many more houses in London with wood burning stoves.
He says his customers are overwhelmingly white and rich.
Research from the London Wood Burning project shows that the majority of wood burner users earn over £100k.
However, Laura Horsfall, a health scientist at UCL, agrees that wood burners cause avoidable pollution.
“The modern sort of fuels and stoves, they don’t produce visible smoke but they are producing lots of invisible smoke”.
Industry bosses have insisted that as long as they’re used properly, modern stoves are much cleaner than they used to be.
But the government is currently considering new restrictions on home wood burners, and Laura says she “wouldn’t be surprised if they phase them out of urban areas completely.”
