My neighbour has lit yet another bonfire in his back garden tonight...

[BluSky5]

Would it be unreasonable to think that bonfires shouldn’t be allowed at the moment? I work in healthcare and would like to keep the house well ventilated but my neighbours bonfires keep filling my house up with smoke. I can’t seem to smell it but it’s only when it’s started to irritate my lungs that I realise he’s got another fire lit.

Would it be unreasonable to think that garden fires shouldn’t be allowed at the moment?

I can smell one already this morning 😩

Because the tips, recycling centres and charity shops are shut maybe?

Plus, the crap you are turning out of your house to the charity shop could have Coronavirus on it.

Because the tips, recycling centres and charity shops are shut maybe?

And? I wasn't planning on giving broken rubbish to charity.

It'll sit in the garden and then get taken down the tip.

No one needs to be setting a bloody bonfire.

Stack garden waste to one side, it wont hurt if it has to saty there for a while, same for cardboard

Burning wood released fine partical matter into the air, which is bad for our lungs. People with asthma already struggle from wood burning stoves and such and during a pandemic that attacks the lungs we really should not be doing this at all.

Do you have a garden hose?

I dont know if its all areas, but weve just had announced that recycling centres are closed for the foreseeable, so i have been considering burning my cardboard and paper stack

Same here. We have had so much delivered recently. Much more than normal. Too much to fit in the recycling boxes and the dump is closed.

Not to mention that one of the jobs we’d given ourselves for the downtime was a sorely needed declutter.

Yep. We’ve got a Bonfire Fool here too. Terraced houses so people living in very close proximity.

There really is no need for people to be burning any sort of waste/rubbish when we are in the middle of a global pandemic which is not only requiring us to stay in our homes (and therefore needing us to be thoughtful about how we can all live together so closely) but that also literally causes breathing difficulties if/when we catch it.

Beyond selfish to prioritise cleaning up your own garden waste/extra recycling/house clear-up by burning things right now.

It depends where you live, partly.

We have 200ft gardens backing in to open land, so if you check the wind direction first and make it a one off, it’s not something I’d feel the need to entirely avoid.

There is no law to say you can’t have a bonfire, even if a council requested no bonfires they couldn’t enforce it, but may give a fine if they caused a nuisance (criteria)

Can't you people that want to burn everything start compost bins instead?

That's fine for small stuff, but we've had to cut away branches of trees that are 6" in diameter and a few feet long. How many hundreds of years would it take for them to rot away?

I think a designated "bonfire night" is a good idea though, so you don't end up with a bonfire in your area every night of the week.

People who are considering burning garden waste - please don't! If you cut the twiggy/wood-y bits into small pieces they will (eventually) compost down. If you don't have a compost bin, store garden waste in bin bags, old compost bags and similar - it will start to break down in the bags and eventually take up less space. Once all this is over, you can then buy a compost bin or take the bags to the tip. Its worth pointing out you can also add shredded cardboard and paper to any compost bin if you do have one - a good mixture of stuff really helps.

Bonfires are vile and people who have them in residential areas are selfish fucks. YANBU OP

Some are still collecting garden waste. Ours has this morning. Recycling collection on Tuesday.

Except glossy magazine paper, is that right?

@LakieLady, people could saw or chop their bigger things as their 'daily exercise allocation' and save the need to go out 👍😂

Not to mention that one of the jobs we’d given ourselves for the downtime was a sorely needed declutter.

This will have to be done by boxing and bagging things up, ready to be thrown/recycled/given away once this is over. Most people are having the same thoughts.

I had no idea that some people were inconsiderate enough to have bonfires during the day, wtf is all that about?

The council where I grew up had a byelaw: no bonfires before 7pm or sunset, whichever is the later, so I'm used to them not being a daytime thing, but even without a byelaw people round here don't light them in the daytime.

@OlaEliza, not people like me, who are old and have arthritis!

I think there are bye laws similar most places but people don't obey them and who enforces it? I do think bonfires are inconsiderate along with barbecues. Smoke is a known irritant to people with lung problems and asthma is in the increase even without the current health issue. I never understood why coal and wood fires in a home are banned but not bonfires. those who are decluttering maybe save stuff for afterwards ( but I know space is limited)

Don’t know what being a healthcare worker has to do with it- if you just want your windows open, just say that- it’s reasonable enough

For me it depends. If he’s burning stuff all day, meaning you’re stuck in doors, can’t enjoy your garden or let fresh air in your house, that’s unreasonable. If it’s in the evenings, after dark, that’s fair enough. I enjoy lighting my chimnea of an evening which does give off some smoke, but would never light it of a daytime as I don’t think it’s fair to the neighbours.

We are having the same issue here (West Midlands) I'm fuming as we have elderly retirement flats by us and they can't get out for some fresh air given the isolation situation etc. I've complained to my local council and taken pictures each and every time. Despite trying to get their attention to put the damn things out they all appear deaf. I've set up a hose at the back of my garden for some late night soakings to try to dampen the areas they light them .

We are planning to light our fire pit some time soon. It’s romantic and comforting to sit around the fire after the sun sets, with a drink in hand and maybe some giant marshmallows to toast.
I only ever light our fire pit after dark.

And yet people on here (despite seeing this thread) are still arguing that they should be allowed to have a bonfire. People are so so stupid!! People are DYING everywhere due to being unable to breathe. Fires will not help and (arguably) could exacerbate someone's symptoms and hospitalise then. They might actually die!! I feel quite strongly about this mainly as I've just had the virus, as an asthmatic. I was bloody lucky I have only had it mildly but when I opened my window for some fresh air and there was bonfire smoke it certainly didn't make things easier

And whether it's dark or not has zero effect on whether the fumes get into someone's lungs, someone who is already struggling to breathe

Makes a massive difference, people are less likely to have windows open after dark or be using their garden.