The Labour Government is set to introduce stricter rules on wood-burning stoves as part of a fresh environmental improvement plan (EIP) unveiled by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.
It's the first EIP since Sir Keir Starmer was elected Prime Minister, and it's got Brussels firmly in its sights.
The plan focuses on tackling PM2.5 particulates – tiny particles including soot from burning wood that can get deep into your lungs and even enter your bloodstream.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers these the most dangerous pollutants for human health.
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Ms Reynolds has announced that the government intends to match the EU's tougher air quality standards, which means hitting a target of 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2030 – a full decade earlier than previously planned under Conservative legislation.
Ms Reynolds was pretty blunt about the previous Tory plan, calling it "not credible."
"You can't just set the targets. You've got to explain how you're going to achieve those targets. And that's exactly what we've done," she said.
Right now, Britain's PM2.5 target sits at an annual average of 20 micrograms per cubic metre – that was set back in 2023 to match EU standards at the time. The new plan would slash that in half.
Labour are set to introduce stricter rules on wood-burning stoves in a bid to tackle air pollution
|GETTY
Throughout 2024, average levels were actually 7.2 micrograms, though they spiked to 11.1 micrograms in November when people fired up their stoves as temperatures dropped.
Now, here's what won't happen – the Department for Education, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed the consultation won't propose banning older stoves already sitting in people's homes.
Changes to smoke control areas aren't on the cards either.
Instead, the focus will be on tightening standards for new wood-burning products coming to market.
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Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds set out the first environmental improvement plan in Sir Keir Starmer's government
|PA
"We recognise that for some households, wood burners are an important way to heat homes," a Defra spokesman said.
The Government says poor air quality is costing the NHS millions in extra treatments for conditions like asthma and lung disease.
Industry body HETAS, which certifies environmental standards for stoves, is backing the move.
Their head of technical services, Calvin May, pointed out that stoves meeting Cleaner Choice standards already hit the potential new targets.
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose nine-year-old daughter Ella died from an asthma attack linked to air pollution in 2013, called it a "win."
Wood-burning and domestic combustion accounted for roughly 20 per cent of UK PM2.5 emissions in 2023.
Scotland tried something similar in April last year, banning wood-burners as primary heating in new-build homes. Rural communities were furious, and SNP ministers reversed the decision by the end of 2024.
Beyond air quality, the EIP commits to restoring or creating 250,000 hectares of wildlife habitats by 2030 and allocating millions to landscape recovery projects with farmers.
There's also a renewed pledge for 80 per cent of new cars and 70 per cent of new vans sold to be electric by 2030.
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