Camden Council’s 5PS headquarters

THE Town Hall has set its sights on tackling the “health risk” posed by wood-burning stoves in the capital. Camden is currently looking to hire a new employee responsible for overseeing the “London Wood Burning Project”, an effort to reduce the impact of wood-burning stoves on local air quality.

The new employee, who is set to be paid up to £42,500 for their role in the project, will be responsible for designing a public awareness campaign to discourage residents from burning wood, coal and other solid fuels at home among other responsibilities.

Run by Camden and Islington on behalf of a group of 15 London boroughs, the project aims to raise awareness of the dangers posed by wood-burning stoves.

Camden is a “Smoke Control Area”, meaning residents who do have wood-burning stoves can only legally burn “smokeless” fuels with reduced moisture content, like kiln-dried or seasoned wood, or smokeless coal.

But even these fuels still produce large quantities of pollutants, it has been warned. In recent years there has been a reckoning with the environmental and health impacts of the appliances.

When burning wood or coal, the stoves produce large quantities of particulate matter that flood homes with toxins.

Often referred to as “PM2.5”, these fine particles can pass straight through lungs and into the bloodstream, causing cancer, asthma and heart disease among other serious conditions.

Only 8 per cent of households in the country have a wood-burning stove, but they produce more particulates than all vehicles on the road put together.

According to the Town Hall, even the most efficient wood-fuelled heating systems emit roughly 300 times more particulates than gas boilers.

And new legislation introduced in January means all new wood-burning stoves entering and being fitted in the country must meet certain eco-friendly design standards.

Those who continue to burn wood or coal in Camden may be issued with an abatement notice – any notices which are ignored can lead to fines or prosecution.

According to the council, the most effective way to reduce air pollution is “simply to avoid burning any wood, coal, or other solid fuels at home”.