A council campaign for clean air has created 'a climate of fear and intimidation' for wood-burning stove owners, it has been claimed.
Residents say they have been verbally abused, shamed and verbally abused in the streets for using their wood-burning stoves this winter.
Some say they have been labeled “polluters” and “stigmatized” for using them.
Chimney sweeps in Brighton and Hove say they have been asked to park some distance from their customers' homes for fear of alerting neighbors to the presence of a wood-burning stove.
It comes after Brighton and Hove City Council launched a campaign against wood-burning stoves and fireplaces last month.
Bus stop advertising for the Cozy Killer campaign claims that wood burning caused a particularly dangerous form of air pollution.
The pollutants – PM2.5s – are said to be worse than all British road traffic combined.
However, wood burning stoves are still legal everywhere in this country and it is estimated that they are now installed in around 1.5 million homes in the UK.
Even in those parts of our towns and cities that fall under smoke control areas, including much of Brighton, but also most of London and most of Birmingham and Manchester, wood can be burned in stoves that comply with regulations introduced three years ago has been entered.
A council campaign for clean air has created 'a climate of fear and intimidation' for wood-burning stove owners (pictured)
It comes after Brighton and Hove City Council launched a campaign against wood-burning stoves and fireplaces last month
The pollutants – PM2.5s – are said to be worse than all British road traffic combined
Councilor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “Our campaign is not designed to demonize anyone; I am convinced that most people who burn at home are simply unaware of the damage they are causing, and this campaign is entirely aimed at raising awareness.
'It is important that our residents are fully aware of the health risks associated with burning wood in the home and our campaign is supported by robust academic research and public health data from multiple sources.
'We have also installed a network of real-time air quality monitors across the city, providing us with vital additional data and insights.
'For example, on cold evenings when wood-burning stoves are most used, we see significant peaks in residential areas – including near schools and kindergartens – at levels well above those considered safe by the World Health Organization.
'We know that for some people a wood-burning stove is essential to heat their homes – and we are certainly not trying to unfairly target anyone in fuel poverty with this campaign – but for the majority it is more of a luxury.
“It is only right that we as a municipality increase local awareness of what is an important public health issue.”
The smoke-free zones close to the center require users to use a Defra-approved eco-burner and use dry wood and other permitted solid fuels, but not coal.
But residents, stove installers and chimney sweeps have raised questions about the science, saying the campaign has created a 'climate of fear' in the city.
Brighton resident Molly Dean said: 'I'm concerned about using my woodburning stove and we rely on it for heating. There are a lot of people warning us and telling us not to do this and that while driving their big, fancy cars.”
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: “The council's preoccupation with stigmatizing people in this town is ridiculous. Not content with declaring war on motorists, they have now set their sights on wood-burning stoves, the majority of which have been approved by Defra.
'This is despite the fact that the council continues to spray harmful pesticides to kill weeds and has built cycle lanes that have led to increased traffic congestion and pollution. It's so hypocritical.'
Councilor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “Our campaign is not designed to demonize anyone; I am convinced that most people who burn at home are simply unaware of the damage they are causing
Wood-burning stoves also promote a range of social and family benefits as they provide a communal meeting place in a home (archive photo)
While living here, Ellie said: “I think what the council has done is dangerous. The campaign gives ammunition to environmental bullies who harass people online and accost people on the street.
'I have been scolded and shamed and it is aided and abetted by my council. It's disgusting.'
Rob Whittington, a chimney sweep, said: 'Wood stoves have been unfairly stigmatized by this campaign. They do cause emissions, but there is no form of heating that does not have an impact on the environment.
“The stigma created by campaigns like Cozy Killer can discourage responsible practices and promote a culture of secrecy rather than openness and improvement,” says Whittington, who trades as The Purple Sweep.
He said the council's campaign relied heavily on data from a flawed survey carried out by the University of Birmingham in 2021 and 2022, which monitored air quality in just two locations in Birmingham.
He said: 'The research failed to adequately distinguish between emissions from older, inefficient stoves or fireplaces and those from modern, eco-certified stoves. By ignoring this distinction, the campaign paints all wood-burning appliances with the same brush, perpetuating a narrative that can be misleading.”
He said there are several websites offering advice on the correct use of wood-burning stoves and described the Cozy Killer campaign as 'fear-mongering'.
Rob Whittington, a chimney sweep, said there are several websites offering advice on the correct use of wood-burning stoves and described the Cozy Killer campaign as 'fear-mongering'.
Reading and Oxford local authorities have banned the use of fuel or appliances not approved by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Penalties of up to £300 could be imposed on anyone breaking the rules after the new policy to replace existing so-called 'smoke control areas' was introduced on December 1.
Exceptions are made for Defra-approved appliances and government-approved fuels, while outdoor barbecues, chimneys, chimineas or pizza ovens are also permitted, as long as smoke does not come out of a building's chimney.
The rules have been introduced amid growing concerns about the stoves increasing the risk of lung cancer and being one of the main causes of harmful air pollutants in Britain.
Andy Genovese, director of Hanover Wood Burners, said: 'The science that is being eradicated, especially regarding PM2.5s, is very, very questionable. It appears that the municipality is based on only one study.
'The Cozy Killer campaign has created an atmosphere of hostility towards people using their wood-burning stoves and that is wrong.
'Wood is predominantly grown locally, harvested by small companies and is completely CO2 neutral. The carbon released during combustion is absorbed by trees and plants and harvested as fuelwood in a renewable cycle of 50 years.'
He said: “I think the council's campaign is guilty of deceptive intent because they focus on partial facts.
'For example, the municipality does not tell us about car tires that cause a significant amount of PM2.5 particles, sometimes even more than the exhaust fumes.'
Mr Genovese, who installs up to 80 wood-burning stoves a year, said the new Defra-approved eco-wood stoves were good.
Mr Genovese, who installs up to 80 wood stoves a year, said the new Defra approved eco wood stoves were good
He said they were much more efficient than older models and that, as long as the wood was properly dried, they would burn with less pollutant emissions
He said they were much more efficient than older models and that, as long as the wood was properly dried, they would burn with less pollutant emissions.
“Let's not forget,” he said. 'No form of heating is carbon neutral, but wood is considered one of the closest because it is renewable.'
But he said the stove was 'only as good as the fuel you put on it', which required the wood to have a moisture content of less than 20 per cent.
But one resident said: 'It's more a case of a group of middle class people who like to think they are right and on the right side of history, and pretend there isn't a huge polluting, toxic and literally smoking elephant in the world exists. middle of the room.'
Another said: 'What we want is fewer pollutants in our air and wood-burning stoves clearly contribute to that. “But the way the council has approached their campaign seems wrong and has created a climate of fear.”
It is widely believed that particulate pollution is the air pollutant with the greatest impact on human health, increasing the risk of respiratory and heart disease and increasing the number of hospital admissions.
Children who grow up exposed to particulate matter are more likely to have reduced lung function and may develop asthma if the small particles enter the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
