In this week's column, Liz Terry, the leader of Reading Borough Council, announces upcoming changes to fire heaters in homes which will be in place this winter. Councillor Terry writes: 

With the recent stifling hot temperatures we have been experiencing, probably the last thing on your mind is putting the heating on.

But the Council recently announced changes to the rules around burning solid fuel at home which you might need to prepare for.

The change being introduced on Sunday, December 1 is that the whole borough will become a smoke control area (SCA).

The aim is to improve air quality in our town, which is improving, but is still too polluted in some parts.

Before you start worrying about whether this will stop you enjoying your barbecue in the garden in the summer – I can assure you it will not.

The new rules only apply to smoke being released through a chimney.

Otherwise, you can continue to light up the barbecue and use pizza ovens and garden fireplaces. You can even continue to have garden bonfires as long as you the follow the rules, which you can find on the Council’s website (Bonfires - Reading Borough Council­).

The main difference with the borough-wide SCA is what can be burned in your home.

Households can still burn solid fuels on an appliance which is on the Defra approved list, or use manufactured solid fuels which have the ‘ready to burn’ logo on an open fire or non-Defra exempt appliance. All the rules are clearly explained on the Council’s website (Smoke Control Areas - Reading Borough Council.

The fact is that 62 per cent of Reading borough is already a designated smoke control area so by extending it to cover the whole borough makes a lot of sense. It will also be easier for householders to understand what rules apply to them.

We’ve seen a rise in the number of homes burning solid fuels across the country in recent years and figures show that this accounts for more than 30% of local particulate emissions, known as PM2.5. The small size of these particles in the air means they can enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body and lodge in the brain, heart and other organs.

This can have particularly serious impacts on the health of vulnerable groups of people, such as the young, elderly and those with respiratory problems.

As part of the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan, the Council carried out a consultation on expanding the SCA to the whole borough last autumn. After being approved by committee, an application had to be sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which the department recently approved.

This means any household found to be breaching the rules could face a fine of between £175-£300.

Let’s hope that turning on our heating at home is still months away. But if you do burn solid fuels at home, please check the new rules on our website so you are prepared for December 1.