Bonfires in back gardens.

[stuart]

November 5th can be great fun but our plan to eat alfresco this evening has been killed by acrid smoke billowing from a house in the locality. Its even permeating the house - I suppose we could close all the windows but IT IS SUMMER. This is not an infrequent occurrence from this source.

Is there any remedy as the person clearly has no care about their neighbours pleasure or health?

Stuart

[Manwithaview1]

Report air pollution problems
If you are concerned about air pollution coming from a home, garden, business or building site in your area, please call the Environmental Health Enforcement Team on 020 8314 2170.

https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/ ... fires.aspx

[Parker1970]

November 5th can be great fun but our plan to eat alfresco this evening has been killed by acrid smoke billowing from a house in the locality. Its even permeating the house - I suppose we could close all the windows but IT IS SUMMER. This is not an infrequent occurrence from this source.

Is there any remedy as the person clearly has no care about their neighbours pleasure or health?

Stuart

According to Gov.Uk there is no law against garden fires unless they are frequent and cause a nuisance, sounds like yours fits that category.

https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules

Complain about a neighbour’s bonfire

Your council can issue an ‘abatement notice’ if a neighbour’s bonfire is causing a nuisance. A bonfire must happen frequently to be considered a nuisance.

Your neighbour can be fined up to £5,000 if they don’t stick to the notice.

[Sydenham]

What about a private nuisance claim against your neighbour? Not a criminal action but a civil one you take on yourself. So don't look for the State to help you.....

http://www.inbrief.co.uk/land-law/private-nuisance/

[Search East]

What were they burning? If it was plastic it's a definite cause for complaint according to the Lewisham website. Otherwise lewisham are apparently very laid back about bonfires. I checked up on this when a neighbour was slowly building a pile of garden waste to rival the Crystal Palace bonfire, luckily we were away when it finally went up, several foot in the air, a few neighbours actually called the fire brigade but it doesn't seem to have put her off amassing another pile this year. She jokingly suggested we all toast marshmallows, with the fire brigade. I used to live in Southwark and their policy is no bonfires at all. It's so frustrating when different councils have wildly differing regulations, see also recycling, council tips etc etc

Search East's girlfriend.

[SepticSkeptic]

I didn't think this was such a big deal until I became a victim!

For last 3 weeks someone backing into Byne/Tredown/Wiverton has been burning something horrible almost every evening.

It's really grim.

[zara]

yes know what you mean.been at back of a house in tredown usually around 5-6pm just as I go to sit in the garden and makes my eyes sting. can see from my window and it's one of those dustbins with a funnel. depends which way the winds blowing could at least do it later at dusk.

[JRobinson]

If it really stinks, it might be illegally burning things that can't be disposed of without large payments.
Possibly you should contact the council, environmental health section? make it an official complaint, they can be done for burning certain things, like tyres for example.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/burning-rubbish

[Manwithaview1]

If it really stinks, it might be illegally burning things that can't be disposed of without large payments.
Possibly you should contact the council, environmental health section? make it an official complaint, they can be done for burning certain things, like tyres for example.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/burning-rubbish

The link is for Northern Ireland, which have different laws to England. Just saying

[Suzee]

Bromley seem to take this seriously, if being a nuisance, which this is. Action can be taken under the Environmental Protection Act:

http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/413/poll ... 2/bonfires

There is an email address to report persistent problems. So if this continues in Tredown Road, it would be good if everyone affected could do so.

[alywin]

I didn't think this was such a big deal until I became a victim!

For last 3 weeks someone backing into Byne/Tredown/Wiverton has been burning something horrible almost every evening.

It's really grim.

It's that far away?! Gulp, you have my sympathies. It's been quite bad enough from where we are.

[Pickwick]

I contacted Lewisham recently about a bonfire that had been going on for several days and they said this was unacceptable and that they would contact the house concerned to ask them to stop (I also got a letter confirming this), so they do act in some circumstances.

I've also been bothered by the frequent smell of smoke in the early evenings (very unpleasant in this hot weather), but couldn't work out where it's been coming from. There hasn't been anything the last few evenings? Will also contact Bromley if it starts up again.

[SepticSkeptic]

Furious.
Thought we'd escaped an evening of smoke and then at 11pm smoke fills the house through all the open windows.
Considering calling the fire brigade.

[Pickwick]

I was just posting to say the same thing! Definitely contacting Bromley tomorrow.

[Suzee]

Pretty sure it's in garden 22 Tredown Rd so feel free to contact Bromley.

[monkeyarms]

There's a note up on a post on Tredown Road from whoever it was doing the burning. It appears he/she had evidently received an anonymous note complaining about the fires and this was their response.

[Sydenham Syd]

There's a note up on a post on Tredown Road from whoever it was doing the burning. It appears he/she had evidently received an anonymous note complaining about the fires and this was their response.

Saying what?

[monkeyarms]

...saying something about a rat infestation

[Pickwick]

I spoke to a helpful person in Bromley's Public protection team on Friday and they took down the details - tel 0300 303 8657, email ehts.customer@bromley.gov.uk. They asked if these were garden bonfires and I said I was sure they weren't, that they occur almost every evening and that they generate a lot of unpleasant smoke. Bromley explained they couldn't act directly on the information as I'm based in Lewisham and I will have to go through Lewisham environmental health, who will then liaise with Bromley. So anyone based in Bromley should get an immediate response.

I think there was another fire last night – woke up at about 1.30pm to a smell of smoke, assume it was no 22 again!

[Pickwick]

Sounds like no 22 need help from Bromley with pest control.

I walked past the house yesterday, didn't see the notice but noted that it's split into flats A and B. Bromley will need to know this if they're writing to the householder(s).