Home > Neighbour Issues > Bonfire Nuisance in Your Neighbourhood

Bonfire Nuisance in Your Neighbourhood

By: Jeff Durham - Updated: 12 Sep 2023 | comments*Discuss
 
Bonfire Smoke Nuisance Annoyance

If the type of domestic property you live in is suitable, it is perfectly legal to have a bonfire on your land and, contrary to popular belief, there are no restrictions as to what time of the day or day of the week you can have it on. There is, however, firm legislation in place which you must comply with to ensure that your bonfire does not contravene the Environmental Protection Act.

In addition to the legislation, it’s also important that you consider how the bonfire might affect your neighbours. While the law does not restrict you from doing so, it would be highly inconsiderate to light a bonfire in the middle of the night. As a general guideline, don’t light your bonfire any later than one hour before dusk, and if possible do it in the morning or early evening.

Choosing your Site

You need to think carefully about where in your garden you're going to place your bonfire. Not only do you need to consider your neighbours, but any kind of fire can be extremely dangerous if not managed properly. Keep any bonfire well out of the way of windows, trees, fences, hedges and other combustible materials.

Even in the summer months, when there are lots of green leaves around, it’s easy to forget that they are simply light covering for a lot of dry wood and, should an ivy bush catch fire, for example, one that grows along the side of a fence reaching right to your house, it’s amazing how rapidly that can take hold and spread.

Informing your Closest Neighbours

It’s common courtesy to let those neighbours who might be affected by the smoke know when you intend to have the bonfire. Obviously, not everybody has the same day for doing their washing and hanging it out on the line or inviting guests around for a barbecue, but by letting them know in advance, your neighbours can plan washing days and outdoor activities accordingly.

While on the subject of barbecues or using other smoke-causing devices such as a Wood Burning Stove, the same common courtesy rules should apply if you think you are going to cause excessive smoke problems.

General Advice

First, try to have as few bonfires as possible. These days, and with the encouragement to recycle, there is far less need to burn garden rubbish than there may have been a few years ago. Recycling bins are often provided for garden waste and many gardeners will use much of the stuff that they may have previously burned and use it as compost.

Don’t include any wet or green materials on your bonfire as that will just cause excess smoke. For safety purposes and to reduce annoyance potential, it's best to burn a small bonfire and then adding to it as opposed to making one great big bonfire. Keep a hosepipe handy or have buckets of water already prepared in case the fire gets out of control, and never leave a bonfire unattended.

You should not burn anything which is likely to cause excessive and pungent black smoke. For example, rubber tyres and plastic containers do not belong on a bonfire. You should not attempt to light a bonfire when it’s a windy day, as wind will blow the smoke further, causing annoyance to even more of your neighbours.

If a Neighbour’s Bonfire Causes a Problem

If a neighbour is burning a bonfire which is causing a nuisance, you should go round to their house and ask them politely to extinguish it or if they could do anything to reduce its effects. Quite often, they are so engrossed in what they’ve got to burn and get rid of that they can be pretty oblivious to the effects the bonfire is having on nearby residents.

However, if they ignore your request, you can contact your local authority’s environmental health department who will write to the neighbour, and include the relevant legislation about what they can and cannot do. Further legal action can be taken against them if they continue to flout the law. Keeping a written log of dates and times when the problems arise and taking some footage of the effects of a neighbour’s bonfire if you have a camera or, better still, a camcorder, will often help to enable your local authority to prosecute them more quickly if they are breaching the law.

Generally speaking, however, there are far fewer reasons for anybody to be having to burn rubbish on a bonfire in their garden these days. Waste can be often be recycled or disposed of in other ways so, if you are thinking of having a bonfire, consider the neighbours and think of less damaging ways in which you might be able to dispose of certain kinds of waste.

You might also like...
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice..
[Add a Comment]
Got some mug a couple of doors over, burning stuff at 2:30am, just stuck me head out the window and enquired "who's the arsehole with the fire? Ya c**t!" Amazingly, he put the fire out and hid.
Peeonyourfire - 12-Sep-23 @ 3:01 AM
I have a annoying neighbour who keeps lighting bon fire, I think he burns household waste
Andypigeon - 6-Sep-23 @ 2:58 PM
My neighbour is having bonfires everyday in his garden burning anything and everything he can from wood, to carpet, trees , building materials etcme and my partner are asthmatic and the smell is awful can’t open windows or doors ?? the neighbours are a unfriendly
Jul - 3-Aug-23 @ 1:36 PM
The neighbours burn large fires on the grass out on the street. Right outside my garden fence. I've asked them not to but then the become threatening and hostile.
Jo - 3-Jun-23 @ 10:19 PM
Next door to me are constantly doing bonfires during the day and my 3 year old suffers with asthma this than fills up my house with smoke if I have the windows open and if I don't the house gets to hot in this heat what are my options what am I able to do about this please
Sam - 17-Jul-22 @ 2:57 PM
It's our landlord. I'm getting very sick.Landlords are not people anymore.They are a corporation of investors with no phone number.You can turn in your rent to an employee.An employee is burning trailer trash in our trailer park.The dumpster is full no one comes and takes it away.A woman died they have not removed her trailer.They put the dumpster there like they were going to take her trailer apart but never did.The burning trash is making me sick.I can't breath. I don't know what to do.No one listens to us. liberty commons urbana illinois usa
Noo - 16-Mar-22 @ 1:25 AM
The inconsiderate neighbors always cough when passed my unit, to spread virus. This inconsiderate neighbors live in blk 601 bedok reservoir rd and unit no 500 to 506 always walked passed at 8.55pm to 8.59pm. I hope NEA took severely actions against this inconsiderate neighbor.
Louis - 10-Mar-22 @ 5:01 PM
siderate neighbor live in either 500 to 506 unit no
Louis - 10-Mar-22 @ 4:53 PM
Neighbour is burning waste in his back yard and causing a hazard smoke and smell!
Dilek Demirhan - 7-Sep-21 @ 2:22 PM
next door but 1 to me is burning loads of household items. debris is landing in mine and next doors garden.smoke is horrendous. all windows are shut but i can hardly breathe. it says to go round to the house and speak to perpetrator but he`s a big, evil looking man as i have seen out of my window and as i am female and only 5ft there`s no way i`m going over.asusual in this country the scum get away with everything and law abiding citizens have to suffer
caz - 14-Aug-21 @ 7:20 PM
My neighbour is constantly having fires in his garden nearly every night he is burning anything he can get his hands on carpet laminate flooring etc and the smoke is unbearable I can't have my doors or windows open on a night time as the smoke comes in my house and my 2 children can't play in the garden or have there bedroom windows open on a hot summer night how do I stop him doing this
Richie - 5-Jul-21 @ 7:55 AM
Neighbour burning fires during day in garden thick smoke going everywhere they also have young children playing in the garden can I complain
Izzy - 12-Apr-21 @ 3:06 PM
Moved back to Orange, Texas last year of beginning ofFebruary 2020 Neighbor been burning trash in burn barrel. Wife called fire department and they said they only put out real fires. And the neighbors told the fire department they were cooking on a cooking barrel. There was so much smoke that came into the house my wife couldn't breath. Our animals were having a hard time breathing as well. Fire department didn't give any medical attention to my wife knowing she was having a hard time breathing. They didn't do anything to put out fire. Called Texas department of air equality but they say there isn't a case. Problem is they burn on weekends and holidays so no one can come out until like 7 days to 2 wdeks later. So they don't see anything.Code enforcement is the same thing. They don't work weekends and don't see anything persinally. We have cameras and we have evidence of them burning among other things but everyone has the excuse that they have to catch them in the act and knowing that they burn on the weekends and holidays. I feel like my arms are tied, knowing there is a burn ban here in Texas. The nuisance that they keep on doing. Non stop!!!
Texan - 11-Apr-21 @ 1:12 AM
Moved back to Orange, Texas last year of beginning ofFebruary 2020 Neighbor been burning trash in burn barrel. Wife called fire department and they said they only put out real fires. And the neighbors told the fire department they were cooking on a cooking barrel. There was so much smoke that came into the house my wife couldn't breath. Our animals were having a hard time breathing as well. Fire department didn't give any medical attention to my wife knowing she was having a hard time breathing. They didn't do anything to put out fire. Called Texas department of air equality but they say there isn't a case. Problem is they burn on weekends and holidays so no one can come out until like 7 days to 2 wdeks later. So they don't see anything.Code enforcement is the same thing. They don't work weekends and don't see anything persinally. We have cameras and we have evidence of them burning among other things but everyone has the excuse that they have to catch them in the act and knowing that they burn on the weekends and holidays. I feel like my arms are tied, knowing there is a burn ban here in Texas. The nuisance that they keep on doing. Non stop!!!
Texan - 11-Apr-21 @ 1:07 AM
My neibour regularly burns garden waste during the day especially at the weekend when I would like to enjoy or eat with my family in the garden but I can’t because of the smoke and smell he creates. I have chronic asthma and a heart condition so this affects my breathing and makes me so unwell. I can’t even open my windows or trust putting out my washing. This is making me so unhappy and I feel like a prisoner in my own home. Who do I report this to? Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks
Lor64 - 6-Apr-21 @ 12:50 PM
How can I stop my neighbour burning things he shouldn't? Tonight it's raining and from about 7 pm he started burning a room full of laminate flooring, carpet and underlay. It's 9.45 and the fire is still raging.The fumes are entering my house even though all the air vents are closed. It's given me headache!
Tika - 28-Jan-21 @ 9:45 PM
@Annoyed Neighbour - 2-Aug-20 @ 12:04 AM So would you say that I was being a selfish prick just because I burn a few old tyres occasionally, just to get the bonfire going nicely ?
JuanKingspasm - 20-Nov-20 @ 4:28 PM
I would just like to know who you call on a Sunday when your neighbor crosses the street is burning and it's a dry windy day, you cannot sit on your porch you cannot take your dog outside because it makes you sick and you can't breathe! You certainly can't open your windows! So who do you call on a Sunday morning when The neighbor crossed the street is burning to be all get out on a dry and windy day and we have not had rain and over a week and don't expect to have rain for another week?
Damaris - 8-Nov-20 @ 5:04 PM
Got a pile of garden waste (only twigs/branches as all else goes in the compost or the garden waste bags for Lambeth) built up over a year, and want to burn it on Bonfire night (or nearest sat or sun)......can't find out if Lambeth now allows this.....I also have an incinerator, so it could go in there.... Tried to find a Lambeth number to ring or write, but can't find! help!
pat - 29-Oct-20 @ 2:21 PM
JAC - even we shut windows, the smoke still gets in. If they dont smell, I wouldnt give a dumb.
Hi - 21-Oct-20 @ 3:55 AM
My stupid neighbour called a police against me as I harrased them!! The reality is completely opposit and they are worse than ever since the police visited my house. They are from Portogal and believe they own the whole street! I will take it to the court per an advise from the local council as they cannot do anything further. They have been very helpful though.
Devastated - 20-Oct-20 @ 6:37 PM
My pig ignorant neighbors think it’s cleaver to have bonfires , smashing the dust bin lidevery 30 minuets or so , , shouting all day , washing wheely bins and cutting grass every two days ! Yes really! Both are in their seventiestime for it to stop
Herman - 13-Sep-20 @ 10:35 AM
Why is it inconsiderate to burn late at night? We have a very controlled fire occasionally, designed to quick-burn so it doesn't last any more than 45mins-1hr. We do it late because it's the only time it's guaranteed that our neighbours have closed their windows and doors so the small amount of smoke doesn't affect them.
JAC - 10-Sep-20 @ 10:52 PM
The new neighbour has once again left smouldering a large metal bin of garden rubbish, smoke is creeping out from the lid, it is a metre from the boundary wooden fence, strong smell of smoke particulates in the air. He has been incrementally burning garden waste, but i did see a plastic carton tossed on too. I had a brief word last time (about a week ago) when I saw bright orange flames through gaps in the fence about ‘safety’ but all he said he had a hose nearby and would put it out. Last night’s fire was still gently smouldering at 9am today... This is the fourth or fifth bin fire since July and he has more rubbish to burn.. it is bizarre he does not think to compost it?. All this during a heatwave!, little breeze, v poor air quality - I think he is just clueless about the nuisance to others... Please help.
ZEE - 13-Aug-20 @ 11:35 AM
Honestly I can't begin to describe how inconsiderate it is to burn garden fires. Almost every day one of the neighbours is burning a fire in any direction, what are you, cavemen!? Firstly, it stinks, I can never open my windows to get fresh air. Secondly, burning fires on the hottest days of the year, just why!? If you're burning fires you're a selfish prick, simple as. There's no good reason for it, the council collect large waste and we also have recycle bins.
Annoyed Neighbour - 2-Aug-20 @ 12:04 AM
@ Julie - 18-Jul-20 @ 12:45 PM Number 21 eh ? It's all in hand, no bother at all, your friendly neighbourhood vigilante will immediately deal with this atrocity!
Sornoff Piztakka - 1-Aug-20 @ 3:19 AM
We have had our neighbours 4 doors down calling the fire brigade. But as 2 elderly people who have no transport and currently being shielded due to covid and having no transport to go to the dump. I checked on the council Web site before I did this. We are only burning the old wooden shed and paper items. Anything else we have arranged for Harrow Council to collect it under the bulky waste collection scheme. Our bonfire is contained in a metal incinerator and we have a bucket of water near by to dampen any spillage and we only burn up to 1.oopm.we have lived here 40 years and have never even had a barbecue. I fully understand if we did all the time and we checked with our immediate neighbours and they were OK. But when the fire brigade they flatly refused to listen to our side and told us only to burn during hours of darkness. Surely that isn't right. Just wanted to give our story.
Law abiding citizen - 25-Jul-20 @ 8:07 PM
We have had a bonfire in a metal incineratorin our garden and our neighbours 4 doors down complained and phoned the fire brigade. We only ever lit it in the morning up to 1.00pm.It was contained in a metal bin where we had a bucket of waternear by. Never left it unattended. And when we finished we ensured that all the embers had been dampen and no ashes still burning. When the fire brigade came they told us only burn during darkness and yet is legally no time or day restriction. We had consulted with our immediate neighbours and they were OK. We have lived in our property for 40 and never had a bonfire as we were under the impression that it was against the law. My husband and I are being shielded because of cod I'd so even the dump was open we could not. go. We thought we were doing the right thing as it causing Harrow council thousands of pounds to clear up fly tipping. We don't have a car so we can't take and we only burn wood or paper. SORRY ABOUT THE RANT
Law abiding citizen - 25-Jul-20 @ 7:53 PM
Number 21 stonybeck close, swindon, SN5 7AQ have twice had bonfires in their garden even though you are not supposed to & this one has been going since 12.00, lunchtime. Is there nothing can be done about it? Can they be contacted about the issue.
Julie - 18-Jul-20 @ 12:45 PM
My neighbour has had consistent bonfires in his barbecue. Not one eyelid was battered and sometimes it goes on past midnight. I had one tonight, a one off in an incinerator, just gone past 10.35pm, was gonna let the flames die down and he sprays me with water, says I need to show some respect as its 11pm and calls me a prick. The neighbour next to them is also complaining on Facebook but not one of them has decided to talk to me on fb or in person. Double standards? Hypocritical? Am I really a prick?
TheWrongOne - 15-Jul-20 @ 12:35 AM
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice...
Title:
(never shown)
Firstname:
(never shown)
Surname:
(never shown)
Email:
(never shown)
Nickname:
(shown)
Comment:
Validate:
Enter word:
Topics
Latest Comments