Bonfires

With warming weather, many people are out tending to their gardens, hanging washing on the line and leaving windows open around the house for ventilation.

Smoke from garden bonfires can prevent your neighbours from enjoying their garden, opening windows or hanging washing out and can be an irritant for those people that have health conditions, such as asthma.

With the Romsley Recycling Centre closed and the District Council not currently emptying brown bins, more residents are lighting bonfire to get rid of their garden waste, this is causing many complaints.

Is that bonfire necessary?

Householders are therefore urged to consider an alternative method of disposing of garden waste e.g. composting, which can provide a useful soil enricher for your own garden.  Compost heaps/bins also provide a home for many insects, voles and even slow worms.

How to prevent smoke nuisance

If it is essential to burn material in the open air, please follow the advice below:

• Light your fire when your neighbours are not likely to be in their gardens, having windows open for ventilations or washing on their line.  Speak to your neighbours and liaise with them.
• All material to be burnt should be as clean and dry as possible
• Bonfires should be sited as far as possible away from any houses
• Check the wind direction to prevent smoke from being blown into your neighbours’ property or onto roads
• Never burn plastics, oil, rubber, electrical components or other chemicals as these materials produce toxic and offensive fumes
• All bonfires should be closely supervised, since they are potentially dangerous. Do not leave a fire smouldering – put it out using soil or water

What do I do if my neighbour is regularly having bonfires and I think it is a nuisance?

If you wish to make a complaint about a neighbour’s bonfire, please contact Bromsgrove District Council.