Topic: the laws on fires on allotments

[brown thumb]

does any know the laws of having a bon fire on allotments we are allowed one   if contained in such as a incinerators, but if i dig a hole line it out with2x2 paving slabs resting on bricks 2 slabs(=4ftx2ft)by 1slab, that would be a contained fire(pit)about the size of one of those burning bins as i  was told yesterday that any thing larger the local brigade has to be informed

[Chrispy]

Using an incinerator is a site rule, not a law, so only your site admin will be able to advise.

[lincsyokel2]

does any know the laws of having a bon fire on allotments we are allowed one   if contained in such as a incinerators, but if i dig a hole line it out with2x2 paving slabs resting on bricks 2 slabs(=4ftx2ft)by 1slab, that would be a contained fire(pit)about the size of one of those burning bins as i  was told yesterday that any thing larger the local brigade has to be informed

nah sounds like misinformed urban myth. We have a corner on our site where you take burnable crap and sling it on the pile, and every now and then the site sec puts a match to it. You can even bring burnable crap from home to chuck on, and we let a local handyman dump his compostable and burnable crap here as well for £5 a load.

I dont believe there is a single law or bylaw about such matters anywhere.

Fire Regulations were 'deregulated' from the Fire Brigade years ago, and companies became responsible for there own fire regs, notwithstanding fire provisions in Building Regs. Once upon a day the Fire Brigade could force you to allow acces to them for a fire inspection, but not any more. Within limits what you do on your own land isnt there business anymore - hence the fire in the scrapyard under a bridge on the M1 that brought london to a standstill one weekend.

[Trevor_D]

There isn't - as Chrispy said, it's a site rule. It should be in your Terms & Conditions. If not, it's open to interpretation by whoever is in charge on your site.

The only legal bit is about allowing bonfires to cause an offence to neighbours, traffic, etc. And about toxic waste. Basically, you - or the site could be sued! So rules have to be put in place to prevent that.

[lincsyokel2]

There isn't - as Chrispy said, it's a site rule. It should be in your Terms & Conditions. If not, it's open to interpretation by whoever is in charge on your site.

The only legal bit is about allowing bonfires to cause an offence to neighbours, traffic, etc. And about toxic waste. Basically, you - or the site could be sued! So rules have to be put in place to prevent that.

Well thats to do with the civil torts of Trespass and Nuisance.  There might be a by-law if its a smokeless area, but i doubt it. And you only hit a problem with toxic waste it you remove it from your land (interestingly, you are not liable if someone steals the toxic waste from your land)

[brown thumb]

i know our sites rule is contained fires only a fire pit like i explained before is contained in my eyes but have anyone heard its the law to inform the fire brigade these new bs told me yesterday the fire brigade must be informed right at the moment of lighting and  its no good  informing them that your going to light one later

[davyw1]

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence to omit smoke, fumes or gases which are a nuisance.
Allowing smoke to drift over nearby roads may also lead to prosecution under the Highways (Amendment) Act 1986 if it endangers traffic.

I think you would phone the fire brigade out of courtesy so if some other person phones them reporting the fire they are informed and do not need to attend.

[brown thumb]

so its not the law but a courtesy matter  eg playing safe  thought i never heard it before

[Robert_Brenchley]

We once had a fire on our site - it was arson not a bonfire - which covered the railway line with smoke and disrupted train services. That sort of thing could get you sued. But unless there's a byelaw, there's no other law about bonfires, just site rules.

[Fork]

Our local town council isued a small brief about bonfires on the allotments.

It told you what you could burn and not and also when to light your fire so as not to cause a nuisance.

Unfortunatley,one plot holder decided to interpret this brief wrongly........but to be honest....he was just a stupid man who didnt use any sense when lighting the fire.This fire caused maximum irritation to a couple in a nearby bungalow.

The commitee took a vote at a meeting and decided that fires would be banned.....so thats it...it either gets composted or bagged up and binned!

[Unwashed]

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence to omit smoke, fumes or gases which are a nuisance.

This is what I understand to be the situation.  Bear in mind that "nuisance" has a specific technical meaning here and an occaisonal fire, even if it's making quite a bit of smoke and annoying the hell out of the neighbours isn't actually a "nuisance" in the meaning of the EPA.

That stuff about informing the fire brigade of fire pits over a certain area is poppycock.

We have a corner on our site where you take burnable crap and sling it on the pile, and every now and then the site sec puts a match to it. You can even bring burnable crap from home to chuck on, and we let a local handyman dump his compostable and burnable crap here as well for £5 a load.

But this is an offence.  It's an offence for the site committee to accept trade waste without a waste transfer license, an offfence for the handyman to move trade waste without a waste transfer licence, and it's an offence for the committee to burn trade waste without a licence.  Burning arisings on your own plot is perfectly legal, but bringing stuff from home is an offence, and it's likely an offence if you take stuff from your plot to a communal fire pit.  I have a feeling that even communal compost heaps need a license from the EA.

IMHO there's not much you ever really need to burn that couldn't be composted as even soft-fruit prunings rot down in a couple of years at the bottom of a compost heap.  Old pallets and dead pea stick maybe, but wait until they're really dry and they'll burn without any smoke.

[lincsyokel2]

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence to omit smoke, fumes or gases which are a nuisance.

This is what I understand to be the situation.  Bear in mind that "nuisance" has a specific technical meaning here and an occaisonal fire, even if it's making quite a bit of smoke and annoying the hell out of the neighbours isn't actually a "nuisance" in the meaning of the EPA.

That stuff about informing the fire brigade of fire pits over a certain area is poppycock.

We have a corner on our site where you take burnable crap and sling it on the pile, and every now and then the site sec puts a match to it. You can even bring burnable crap from home to chuck on, and we let a local handyman dump his compostable and burnable crap here as well for £5 a load.

But this is an offence.  It's an offence for the site committee to accept trade waste without a waste transfer license, an offfence for the handyman to move trade waste without a waste transfer licence, and it's an offence for the committee to burn trade waste without a licence.  Burning arisings on your own plot is perfectly legal, but bringing stuff from home is an offence, and it's likely an offence if you take stuff from your plot to a communal fire pit.  I have a feeling that even communal compost heaps need a license from the EA.

IMHO there's not much you ever really need to burn that couldn't be composted as even soft-fruit prunings rot down in a couple of years at the bottom of a compost heap.  Old pallets and dead pea stick maybe, but wait until they're really dry and they'll burn without any smoke.

Here in rural Lincolnshire people tend to be more relaxed, and use there common sense and tolerance a bit more than  down south. Since no one does any harm, no one is likely to say anything. After all, no one wants to be Village Public Enemy No 1..................

Newbury, isnt that the land of Womens Protests Camps and unwanted by-passes ? Do you think its something leaking from Aldermaston   ;D

[Trevor_D]

Don't be so smug - and rude.

The stuff you burn into the air falls on my head, and vice versa. We all like on the same planet and we need to look after it. Even if we live in the back of beyond!

[cornykev]

With your banjo.    ;)

[Vinlander]

I find it very easy to avoid burning stuff from the allotment - the only thing it produces that won't rot down in a compost heap is wood - and with a pair of loppers the smaller stuff can be chopped small enough to use on paths - branches in 5cm chunks and twigs in 15cm lengths are no trouble underfoot (especially when the woodchip delivery is late).

Don't worry about plant diseases - anything you can think of will turn up in woodchip anyway and never seems to cause problems - I'm sure we'd have heard if it did...

Larger stuff can make a nice logpile for friendly insects or be given to the local pyromaniac (there's one on every allotment - usually about 20 of the buggers - they can't let a nice fresh day go by unspoiled by smoke).

Paint is the hidden risk - lead paint in your soil is a threat to your health,  but at least it 's not a big threat to everyone else's lungs when it burns (though in some fires it can be turned to lead shot which is actually safer).

Modern paint is a far worse nuisance - quite terrifying - even modern emulsion - it contains PVC aka. Vinyl and any fire that contains C-for-chlorine will produce hundreds or thousands of times more dioxins than a fire that doesn't - that's apart from the corrosive HCl acid gas which is its main product. Styrene and most other plastics are just as bad.

Never burn any kind of plastic or anything at all that's painted - and don't use a painted metal container as an incinerator.

Anything that was brought to the plot from outside should be taken back out.

Cheers.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I can just imagine a path made of bits of my hawthorn hedge!

[kt.]

Our site rules allow bonfires 6-8pm daily for allotment generated waste only.  The time changes to 4-6pm during winter months.  Nothing is to be brought from home.  These are local council bylaws rules.

[lincsyokel2]

Our site rules allow bonfires 6-8pm daily for allotment generated waste only.  The time changes to 4-6pm during winter months.  Nothing is to be brought from home.  These are local council bylaws rules.

We take the view its better to have one big bonfire once  or twice a month on the allotment site (the leeward side of the village), blowing all the smoke away from the houses,  rather than many small bonfires all over the village, so people bring stuff from home. Its a much more sensible approach. Theres very few bonfires in the village these days.

My half century plus time in this world ahs taught me council by-laws very rarely embody common sense, or reasonableness, and are best ignored.