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Report air quality issues
Report issues of air quality and pollution
The best way to report an air quality issue to us is by using our online form.
Smoke control areas
Barking and Dagenham is a designated smoke control area under the Clean Air Act. This means that in the borough it is an offence to emit smoke from:
- a chimney of a building
- a furnace or any fixed boiler
Anyone who allows such emissions could be liable for prosecution.
Authorised alternative fuels
Only certain fuels called authorised fuels or smokeless fuels may be used in a smoke control areas.
Visit Defra for a list of authorised fuels.
Woodburning stoves and exempt appliances
In a smoke control area you are only allowed to burn non-authorised fuels in an exempt appliance, which minimises smoke emissions.
If you do not have an exempt appliance you can only burn authorised fuels.
Visit Defra for a list of exempt appliances and the associated fuels.
Terms such as 'clean burn', 'clean heat' and 'low emission' appliance give no guarantee that appliances are exempt or suitable for exemption.
Garden bonfires
There are no laws against having a garden bonfire, but there are laws for the nuisance they can cause.
Garden bonfire rules - GOV.UK.
The best way to report an issue with nuisance smells or smoke is to use our online form.
Report nuisance smells or smoke
Air quality information
We monitor and measure air quality in the borough 365 days a year. The borough’s main source of atmospheric pollutants is road transport. There are also significant industrial sources in the south of the borough and close to its boundaries.
You can get information on air pollution in the borough from UK Air.
The free airText smart phone app gives forecasts for today and tomorrow of pollution, UV, grass pollen and temperature. Available for iPhones and Android smartphones.
Sign up for free air pollution alerts
Air quality action plan
We designated the borough an Air Quality Management Area for NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and PM10 (particles up to 10 micrometers in size) in 2008.
Our Air Quality Action Plan includes options for reducing levels of air pollution in the borough in order to comply with UK and European health-based air quality standards.
Air Quality Action Plan 2020 to 2025 (PDF, 430KB)