Smoke control areas

Important Smoke Control Information

The Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968 introduced legislation to deal with the severe smog that was caused by burning coal.

These Acts were later superseded by the Clean Air Act 1993. It’s under this Act that a local authority can declare areas of its district to be a smoke control area.

Smoke control areas in West Lancashire are:

• Skelmersdale 
• Up Holland 
• Crawford Village 
• Part of Roby Mill - up to and including Bank Road/Ayrefield Farm 
• Part of Tontine - up to the boundary with Sandbrook 
• Holland Moss, including Nipe Lane and Pimbo 

It is an offence to emit smoke from a building chimney, furnace or fixed boiler, if it is located in a designated smoke control area. It’s also an offence to acquire an 'unauthorised fuel' for use in a smoke control area - unless it’s for use in an exempt appliance.

Authorised fuels

These are fuels that are authorised by Statutory Instruments (Regulations) made under the Clean Air Act 1993. They include smokeless fuels such as gas, electricity and anthracite along with specified brands of manufactured solid smokeless fuels - these fuels have passed tests to confirm that they are capable of burning in an open fireplace without producing smoke.

Exempt appliances

These are appliances such as ovens, wood burners and stoves, which have been declared exempt by Statutory Instruments (Orders) under the Clean Air Act 1993. This means that they have passed tests to confirm that they are able to burn an unauthorised or smoky solid fuel without emitting smoke.

Read FAQs about smoke control areas