Wood smoke from neighbours: how to raise it without a row

The heating season has started, and with it the smell of wood fires in the evening air. Wood smoke from neighbours can be cosy at a distance, but when it drifts into your garden, through your windows or into a child's bedroom every evening, it is a different story. This article looks at why it happens, how to raise it calmly, what you can ask for and what the rules in the UK say in general terms.

Why the smoke ends up at yours

Wood burners, open fires and fire pits have become popular, partly for the atmosphere and partly to save on heating. Damp logs, a fire kept smouldering overnight or a stove that is too big for the room all produce far more smoke. On cold, still evenings the smoke does not rise but hangs low around the houses, and a chimney below your roof line or a fire pit near the fence sends it straight your way.

From inside, your neighbours rarely notice; the smoke only shows outside.

Start by showing understanding

A fire at home feels personal, so stay with what you notice and avoid blame:

"I can see why you enjoy the stove on these cold evenings. Our garden and bedroom fill with smoke quite often, though, especially when the fire is just lit or late in the evening. Could we look together at what might help?"

Things you can ask for

Choose one or two realistic requests to begin with:

• Dry wood. Logs labelled Ready to Burn, with no more than 20 percent moisture, give much less smoke than damp or freshly cut wood.

• A hot fire, not a smouldering one. Not banking the stove down overnight, and not burning painted or treated wood, packaging or rubbish.

• Chimney sweeping and servicing. A yearly sweep and a check of the stove help it burn cleanly and safely.

• Timing. For example, a message when they light up so you can close windows, or fewer fires on still, foggy evenings.

• The fire pit somewhere else. Not next to your fence, washing line or open windows.

What the rules say in general terms

Burning wood at home is legal in the UK, but much of urban England is a smoke control area under the Clean Air Act 1993. There you may not let smoke come out of a chimney unless you use a Defra-approved (exempt) appliance with the right fuel, or an authorised smokeless fuel. Since the Environment Act 2021, councils in England can issue a penalty of up to £300 for smoke from a chimney in a smoke control area, and buying unauthorised fuel for an unapproved appliance can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 (source). Your council's website shows whether you live in one. New stoves must meet Ecodesign standards, and in England the sale of wet wood in small quantities has been restricted since 2021.

Smoke from a neighbour's premises, including a garden bonfire, can be a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, whether or not you live in a smoke control area. Your council's environmental health team can investigate and serve an abatement notice (source). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have similar but separate rules. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, contact Citizens Advice.

Keep a log

If the smoke keeps coming, note the date, time, where you noticed it, how strong it was, the weather and the effect, such as coughing or having to close windows. Stay factual. Do not film your neighbours or post about them online.

In practice

Wood burning is a large source of fine particles. Defra figures show that emissions of PM2.5 from domestic wood burning rose by 56 percent between 2012 and 2022, and that wood burning at home accounted for 22 percent of all PM2.5 emissions in the UK in 2022 (source).

Complaints rarely lead to fines. Research by the campaign group Mums for Lungs found more than 5,600 smoke complaints in English smoke control areas between September 2023 and August 2024, but only four councils issued penalty notices (source). A friendly conversation and a good log usually achieve more, and faster.

If you cannot sort it out together

Send a second, calm message with a few examples from your log. If you rent, tell your landlord or housing association; in flats, the managing agent or freeholder. A community mediation service can help. Report persistent smoke to your council's environmental health team. If you suspect a chimney fire or smoke is filling a home, call 999.

A calm first step

The CalmNotes pack for wood smoke gives you editable example messages to raise smoke from a stove, open fire or fire pit kindly, with follow-up messages and a log. You can find packs for other situations in our English packs for the UK.

Choose a suitable next step

Free incident diary — Record incidents, contact and agreements.

Prepare your records and request for help — Organise your information and prepare a request for help.

Find support — Find out who may be able to help with your situation.