Hackney Council has launched a campaign to highlight the impact fireplaces and wood burning stoves have on London’s toxic air.
The campaign, run by the Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington Council-run Zero Emissions Network, will see staff door knocking at homes to explain why wood and coal-burning is a problem.
One modern wood stove emits the same amount of particulate matter - known to cause heart and lung disease - every hour as 18 diesel cars, with between 23 and 31 per cent of particulate matter in London and Birmingham derived from wood burning.
The council's eco chief, Cllr Jon Burke, said: "Fireplaces and wood burning are a discretionary luxury in almost everywhere except the most rural locations. Stoves and open fires produce vast amounts of both planet-heating carbon dioxide and toxic particulate matter that contributes to the premature deaths of thousands of Londoners every year through respiratory illness, cancer, and heart disease. We're urging residents to give up wood burning, and asking businesses that rely on solid fuel for cooking to use the cleanest possible products so we can tackle London's toxic air and create a healthier Hackney for everyone."
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