Clean Air Act 1993

This Act makes it an offence to emit “dark smoke” i.e. smoke darker than shade 2 of a Ringelmann Chart from any trade premises. Therefore, it imposes some degree of control on small wood burning boilers which fall under the local authority control threshold as well as making yard fires illegal. One defence of note is where a furnace is being lit from cold and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimise emissions. Unless the contrary is proven, an emission of dark smoke is deemed to have taken place if material is burned which is likely to give rise to the emission of dark smoke. This closes a loophole due to night time burning where dark smoke can not be seen!