how many bonfires a year can one have in there garden?

cypher007

had a letter from local council saying a neighbour had complained about me having a bonfire on a still night at 11:00pm. they then say the council may monitor the situation. but then provide a pamphlet where it says occasional bonfires are ok?

im confused. ive had 2 bonfires about 6 months apart this year. how occasional is occasional?

for reference its a small bonfire late at night garden waste with few bits of brown cardboard. probably burns out after about 30 mins.

Keep_pedalling

Why the late night bonfires and why burn stuff that should have gone in a composter or the recycling bins?

CliveOfIndia

There is no law against having a bonfire as such, and there are no rules about how often you can have a bonfire. The tricky part is determining what could be construed as "nuisance".

This website may help to understand the "general" rules: https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules

But your local council may have additional rules/guidelines. Have you checked on the council website to see what that says?

Bonfires are always a tricky subject, and the rules (such as they are) can often be open to interpretation. Common sense plays a big part - don't have a bonfire when it's a nice day when neighbours have washing hanging out or are enjoying some peace and quiet in their garden. But it's always possible to annoy neighbours unintentionally - all you can do is do your best to be considerate.

LightFlare

I suspect the time of day is/was the issue

fatbelly

Bonfires are becoming less socially acceptable. Smaller stuff can usually be composted or recycled, larger bits of wood you can find someone with an open fire or if necessary dispose of it free at a recycling centre.

I sort of regret it because as a kid I used to love building and lighting a bonfire on Bonfire Night. But as an adult I now hate breathing in other people's smoke.

And don't get me started on disposable barbeques on a crowded beach!

cypher007

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154846#Comment_82154846

i thought having them late at night was better than disturbing people in the evening when they might be in there gardens?

Loanranger21

Except anyone seeing a fire late at night will automatically call 999 to get the fire brigade out!

Just use the appropriate bins for your rubbish .

Rodders53

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154894#Comment_82154894

No. More likely to have bedroom windows open and having to breathe the fumes / smell the stuff. More unsociable that earlier in an evening IMHO.

Our neighbour was burning stuff the other day and we needed to shut the trickle vents to reduce the stink getting in our home. Not a big issue for us.

cypher007

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154909#Comment_82154909

the only people that can see it would be the neighbours if they went upstairs and looked down at the gardens. our gardens are about 40ft wide and 80ft long. bonfire in the centre about 2ft high.

i get more smoke from the neighbours log burners, i have one but dont use it now, both neighbours either side and to the rear use theres though. one of them burns raw off cuts from telegraph pole factory before treatment and odd pallet. other neighbour has plant machinery moving around his garden during the summer as he seems to be DIYing a small swimming pool, very Smokey diesel units. so just wondering why im being targeted?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154828#Comment_82154828

Burning late at night when people are more likely to be indoors with windows shut and no washing drying is probably less anti-social than burning during the day.

Although the OP doesn't specify exactly what was being burned, there's some garden waste which is better (for everyone) if it is burned on site rather than composted. Not being allowed to put garden waste (of any kind) in the 'rubbish' bin (even where the authority uses EfW for disposal) and not being allowed to have bonfires, would leave people with only the option of composting, which isn't a good idea in some situations.

Some councils have the sense to tell people not to put certain types of garden waste in their compost bins, but not all do.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154918#Comment_82154918

Maybe it was the smell more than the sight of it, especially if they sleep with the windows open.