Bonfires
Coronavirus update
To protect the health and wellbeing of everyone during the coronavirus outbreak, we are requesting that residents refrain from lighting bonfires.
Many residents who would normally be out at work or school are now confined to their homes.
Smoke could deny your neighbours from enjoying their garden and have a serious impact on their health – especially where they are self-isolating due to medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease.
Any garden waste can be either composted or collected together until such time as other more appropriate disposal methods are available.
Household waste and recyclable waste should be put into the respective waste bins as normal to await collection.
Reporting a bonfire
You can report a smoke nuisance through your My East Hampshire District Council account.
Please be aware that due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are operating a limited service.
Cases where there is a risk to human health will be prioritised. All site visits are suspended until further notice.
Guidelines
Domestic bonfires
If you have garden waste to dispose of, try and compost as much as possible. Consider using a shredding machine, which can reduce hardwood materials into mulch for use on your garden.
If you must light a bonfire, ensure that the material to be burnt is dry. This will minimise the amount of smoke produced.
- do not light a fire when the weather conditions might cause the smoke to travel into your neighbours’ gardens or property.
- remember that smoke will hang in the air on a damp, windless day and in the evening around sunset.
- position any bonfire as far away from buildings as possible. Do not light a fire if the wind will carry the smoke over roads.
- never leave a fire to smoulder – put it out with water or soil.
- remember, heaps of garden refuse provide a haven for small animals such as hedgehogs. Check before you light.
- take care to keep children away from a bonfire. Supervise burning as much as possible.
- burn only dry plant/wood waste. Avoid burning any wood that is treated/painted or any other household waste.
