The article below was published on the BBC website on February 20, 2020
Sales of the two most polluting fuels will be phased out in England to help cut air pollution, the government says.
Bags of logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and petrol stations often contain wet wood – a type of wood which produces more pollution and smoke.
The public should move to “cleaner alternatives”, the government says.
Plans for the ban were first announced 18 months ago, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has now confirmed it is going ahead.
The government said wood burning stoves and coal fires are the largest source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), small particles of air pollution which find their way into the body’s lungs and blood.
Particulate matter is one of several pollutants caused by industrial, domestic and traffic sources.
“Cosy open fires and wood-burning stoves are at the heart of many homes up and down the country,” said Environment Secretary George Eustice.
“But the use of certain fuels means that they are also the biggest source of the most harmful pollutant that is affecting people in the UK.”
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