Using a real fireplace in London - smoke control areas

[IlanaK]

We put an offer in on a flat yesterday that had a "real" fireplace in the lounge. It was loaded with coal looking things and also fire-lighter looking things. And matches next to it. I was quite surprised when I saw it as I thought you couldn't have real fires in London.

So I just looked it up and it is definitely in a smoke control area. However, there did appear to be a list of allowed fuels. Though coal was definitely not one of them.

Does anyone know if you can buy things to burn in a real fireplace that are exempt from the smoke control law?

(We are totally unlikely to get this place as it will go to sealed bids, but I love the idea of a real fireplace!)

We did it anyway in our previous flat (with wood, naughty). But yes, I think you can buy smoke-free logs or something. Though our gas fire in our new house has coal looking things (that ds likes to take and try to eat ) and we light it with a match... so might be a clever 'fake'...

Good luck with your house purchase though - took us months of stress to get here. Fingers crossed

Hmmmmm....it didn't occur to me that it could be a gas fire. It did not look like one. And it had fire lighter type things in it too.

Perhaps they were smokeless. That would be really cool - a real fire!

Nah, it's probably real (assuming Victorian property here?), our gas fire looks like a gas fire (though the coal things are v realistic). We had the fire in our last place on over Christmas, it was lovely...

Not sure if it is victorian or not. Ah well, if we get the place (unlikely) then we can test it out.