Bonfires and the law
When and where can I have a
bonfire?
It is a common misconception that there are specific byelaws
prohibiting garden bonfires or specifying times they can be lit
–there aren't. However, this is not a licence for indiscriminate
burning! Occasionally a bonfire is the best practicable way to
dispose of woody or diseased waste that cannot be composted. And
bonfires are used to mark traditional celebrations – especially
November 5th.
Under the Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 it
is an offence for people to dispose of their domestic waste in a
way likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human
health. In practice you should not burn waste that is likely to
create excessive smoke or noxious fumes. If only dry garden waste
is burnt, your bonfire should not cause a problem.
Most bonfire problems are addressed under nuisance legislation.
Under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, a statutory
nuisance includes "smoke, fumes or gases emitted from premises so
as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance." (In N Ireland the
Public Health Act 1878 defines nuisance.) In practice a fire would
have to be a recurrent persistent problem, interfering
substantially with neighbours' well-being, comfort or enjoyment of
their property.
If a bonfire of industrial or commercial waste is emitting black
smoke it is dealt with under the Clean Air Act 1993 – this includes
the burning of such material in your garden! Under section 34 of
the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is illegal to dispose of
waste that is not from your property – for example from your
workplace or from a neighbour. For example, small tradesmen must
not burn waste from site at home.
How do I complain about a bonfire?
If
bothered by smoke, approach your neighbour and explain the problem.
You might feel awkward but they may not be aware of the distress
they are causing and it will hopefully make them more considerate
in the future. If this fails, environmental health at your local
council should be notified. They must investigate your complaint
and must issue a notice under the EPA if they consider a nuisance
is being caused. The Act also allows you to take private action in
the magistrates court. However, if a fire is a one-off it may be
difficult to prove a nuisance. Similarly, if you are troubled from
bonfires from different neighbours, each only burning occasionally,
a nuisance action would be difficult as there are several
offenders. In this situation encourage them to consider the
alternatives – give them a copy of this leaflet! Finally, under the
Highways Act 1980, anyone lighting a fire and allowing smoke to
drift across a road faces a fine if it endangers traffic. Contact
the police if this is the case.
Barbeques
Barbeques can also cause smoke
and odour problems – especially if you use lighter fuel. Again, be
considerate. Warn your neighbours, and don't light up if they have
washing out. If it is windy make sure smoke won't blow directly
into neighbouring properties – and keep the noise down.
Bonfire
guidelines:-
A bonfire can be a useful way for disposing of
garden waste that cannot be composted – or perhaps you want a
bonfire just for fun. Bonfires have traditionally been used to mark
events – currently the main bonfire tradition is Bonfire Night, and
in Northern Ireland 11th July. If you do have a bonfire to dispose
of garden waste, or on Bonfire Night, warn your neighbours – they
are much less likely to complain. And follow our good bonfire
guidelines.
Only burn dry material
Never burn household rubbish, rubber tyres or
anything containing plastic, foam or paint
Avoid lighting a fire in unsuitable weather
conditions – smoke hangs in the air on damp, still days. If it is
too windy, smoke blows into neighbours' gardens and windows and
across roads
Avoid burning when air pollution levels in your area
are high or very high. You can check air quality on 0800 556677 or
at www.airquality.co.uk
Keep your fire away from trees, fences and
buildings
Never use oil, petrol or methylated spirits to light
a fire – you could damage yourself as well as the
environment
Never leave a fire unattended or leave it to
smoulder – put it out
Thatch safety tips
If you have a thatched property:
· Insulate the chimney flue
to prevent heat transfer onto the thatch material from the
chimney.
· Have the chimney swept
regularly by a qualified chimney sweep.
· Only burn seasoned
wood.
· Have the chimney inspected by
a qualified chimney engineer.
· If you have a spark arrestor
fitted have it cleaned regularly every three months or so.
· Develop a fire plan for your
home and ensure that the whole family understand this.
· Install smoke alarms
throughout your home and in the loft space.
· Install a fire blanket in the
kitchen.
· Check the electrical system
throughout your home.
· Be very careful when using
blowtorches or heat guns near the thatched roof.
· Restrict the use of bonfires
or fireworks near to your property.
· Consider installing heat
sensors within the thatch around the chimney.
· Install an outside tap with
enough hose to reach the roof around the house.
·
In you are carrying out
renovation work or re-roofing, consider forming a fireproof barrier
between roof timbers and the thatch roof.
Play Your Part for cleaner, safer neighbourhoods
Many people are actively doing their bit for the global environment
by recycling, saving energy and buying local produce. But what are
we doing about anti-social behaviour that can affect our immediate
surroundings such as litter, graffiti, fly-tipping, dog fouling and
abandoned cars?
These are some of the most common complaints from local
residents yet many are reluctant to challenge irresponsible dog
owners or report people for dropping litter. Young people often get
the blame but some adults can be just as bad; not realising that
all littering is a criminal offence carrying fines of up to
£2,500.
Keeping our communities clean, safe and litter-free is a
challenge for council services, which costs tax payers more than
half a billion pounds a year nationally. Cleansing teams work hard
to remove graffiti and rubbish promptly to reduce the risk of
repeat offending, but they rely on the public to keep them
informed.
Did you know?
Suffolk Coastal District Council spends £600,000 on clearing
litter from our streets, parks, beaches and roadsides each year -
money which could be put to much better use.
Parish and town councils have also responded to the problem by
providing extra litter and dog mess bins, fixed penalty notices,
volunteer litter picks and removing graffiti, however they too need
the support of the community to succeed.
Waldringfield Parish Council has been actively trying to
increase the number of dog mess bins in the village and hope
shortly to have a new combined rubbish and dog mess bin installed
near the lay-by on Cliff Road.
There are 2 existing dog mess bins serving the beach area, at
the top of the steps and on the beach near the Maybush. Would all
dog owners please ensure that they use these facilities as the
fines can be very heavy for not clearing up after your dog.
Visitors should also be encouraged to use the bins.
Please keep your beach and village tidy
Nuisance caused by joy riders is another problem that seems to
be ongoing. Youths driving at excessive speeds around car parks
within the village continue to cause danger, damage to property and
noise problems. If you notice any of this anti social behaviour,
please report it immediately by dialling 999. It is illegal and
they are breaking the law. If the opportunity arises please note
any car registration numbers, so this information can be passed
onto the Police.
Play your part for a cleaner, safer environment by reporting
any anti-social behaviour as soon as you see it.
The new Safer Neighbourhood Teams made up of police, councils,
organisations and volunteers are working together to listen to
people’s concerns and tackle local issues promptly. You can contact
our parish/ward team and report problems by visiting
www.safersuffolk.org.uk
or telephoning Suffolk Constabulary on 01473 613500.
You can also go to
www.onesuffolk.co.uk/SaferSuffolk/ColneisPeninsula/ for
further information specific to our area.
You can contact Suffolk Coastal District Council environmental
services department on 01394 444000 or email
scsltd@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Problems such as fly-tipping and abandoned cars can also be
reported online at
www.onesuffolk.co.uk.
Play your Part to keep fireworks fun
As the dark nights draw in, we can look forward to seasonal
events such as Bonfire Night. Traditionally, this is the time to
enjoy fireworks, but increasingly they are used all year round to
celebrate many occasions
While most people enjoy fireworks responsibly, in the wrong
hands they can cause real misery through anti-social behaviour.
Many adults and children suffer fireworks injuries either through
accidents or intentional attacks.
Letting off noisy fireworks late at night with no regard
for neighbours can cause distress by frightening people and pets,
while a dangerous minority deliberately use fireworks to intimidate
residents and damage property.
The laws against firework misuse have been strengthened to
protect communities and provide more powers to tackle the problem
locally. Misuse offences relate to throwing, possession and
controlling when fireworks are used, and other laws regulate the
supply and sales of fireworks.
Did you know?
- It is an offence to set off fireworks in public places such as
parks, streets and school grounds and they should not be sold to
young people.
- You cannot set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on 5
November, Diwali, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year, when the
curfew is extended to 1am.
- Offences carry fines of up to £5000, or six months imprisonment
and a range of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) may be used to
prevent fireworks misuse by persistent offenders.
Fireworks offences should be reported to your local Safer
Neighbourhood Team by visiting
www.safersuffolk.org.uk
or telephoning Suffolk Constabulary on 01473 613500.
For safety advice and further information about the laws against
fireworks misuse and sales, contact Suffolk County Council Trading
Standards on 01473 264859, or visit the county council website at
www.suffolk.gov.uk
Police
Direct
Police Direct is a high tech messaging service provided by
Suffolk Constabulary, which is available to everyone across
Suffolk.
You can get up to date information about crime and policing issues
in your area direct to your computer, mobile phone or
landline.
The service will give you:
- Latest information on local crime
- Warnings about bogus callers
- Crime reduction advice
- Updates from your Safer Neighbourhood Team
- Latest details on major traffic disruptions
It’s free to join Police Direct. And you choose how you want to
receive the alerts – via emails, texts or recorded telephone
messages, or any combination of these. You can register up to three
postcodes and, receiving messages is FREE.
To register for Police Direct messages, please call 01473 613997 or
goto the website :
http://policedirect.suffolk.police.uk . When registering
you will be asked for information about yourself, this will allow
us to ensure that the information we send you is as relevant as
possible:
If you are already registered for the service you can still amend
your personal details or stop receiving messages by clicking on the
link above and then you can log in using your existing username and
password.
Please note, it is no longer possible to register by sending a text
message with your postcode details, as the 88588 service is not
available to us. Anyone who has registered this way and who no
longer wishes to receive alerts can deregister by calling 01473
613997 or can send an email containing their mobile number to
policedirect@suffolk.pnn.police.uk
asking to be removed from the system.
Swine Flu Information
Swine flu –
gettingpreparedfor ‘back to
school’
Over the next few weeks as the county
of Suffolk prepares to
go back to school, NHS Suffolk will also be pushing ahead with its
plans to prepare for a possible autumn
surge in swine flu cases across the county.
As part of this, the NHS Suffolk area now
has some 18 local pharmacies operational
as antiviral collections points – where people’s flu friends can go
with their unique reference number to collect antiviral
medication. Planning is also in place to
ensure a further nine pharmacies are operational as antiviral
collection points over the coming weeks. This will bring the total
to 27 in the NHS Suffolk area.
Also, NHS Suffolk continues to work closely
with partner organisations – including GPs and hospitals – to be
prepared for an anticipated rise in numbers of swine flu cases in
the autumn.
Dr Brian Keeble, flu director at NHS Suffolk, said: “We are
anticipating a
possible surge
in cases after people
return from their holidays and children
go back to school. But this is no reason for alarm. The same advice
still stands – make sure you practice good hand hygiene
by washing hands frequently with soap and water,
particularly before eating. This will
reduce the chance of you getting flu.
“Also, by covering your nose and mouth when
coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of
dirty tissues promptly and carefully – and
by remembering to
Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” you reduce the chance of passing bugs on
to others.
If you think you have flu-like symptoms, call
the National Pandemic Flu Service on 0800
1 513 100 or go online at
www.direct.gov.
uk/pandemicflu. You can also get
general advice by calling the Flu Information Line on
0800 1 513 513 which will
remain in place alongside the new service.
People should
contact their doctor direct rather than using the National Pandemic
Flu Service if:
·
they have a serious
underlying illness
·
they are
pregnant
·
they have a sick
child under one year old
·
their
conditionsuddenly gets much worse, or
·
if their condition is
still getting worse after 7 days (5 for a child)
For further information, please visit the following
websites
Department of Health
NHS Choices news
Health Protection Agency
In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is now
advising against all but essential travel to Mexico. For further
information, visit the FCO website:
www.fco.gov.uk
Diesel Thefts
For information regarding protecting yourself from Diesel Thefts
Click here
Do you need to find a local doctor, dentist, optician or
pharmacy – but don’t know where to start? If you get online, then
you can do it easily with the new online service locator on the NHS
Suffolk website.
By going to
www.suffolk.nhs.uk/servicelocator,
entering your postcode, and choosing which service you need, a
clear and easy-to-use clickable map appears along with other
information such as opening times, disabled access and parking
facilities, hearing loop availability, and services available in
different languages.
The service locator is just one of a number of new ways NHS
Suffolk is working to improve access for people in Suffolk to their
local NHS services. In recent months many local GP surgeries have
been offering extended opening hours, and a current dental
surgeries pilot scheme is proving very popular in offering
appointments to patients during evenings and weekends.
Some of Suffolk’s GP surgeries also offer:
Online appointment
booking
24/7 automatic appointment
booking
Text message reminders for
appointments
Self check-in for your
appointment
Clare Banyard, head of primary care at NHS Suffolk, said:
“Patients are at the centre of what we do. We want to make sure
there are a number of ways people can find the local healthcare
services they need – and then access them at the right place and
time that suits them. And we’re always open to new suggestions of
how to keep improving on this.”
Have a go and visit the service locator now! Online at
www.suffolk.nhs.uk/servicelocator
Alternatively, if you’re not online and need to find a dentist,
doctor, optician or pharmacy you can always call PALS – the Patient
Advice and Liaison Service, on 0800 389
6819