Report a Bonfire
It is perfectly legal to have a bonfire on your land if it is suitable to do so. There are no restrictions as to what time of the day or day of the week you can have it.
There are rules in place to ensure that bonfires do not break the Environmental Protection Act.
Report a nuisance bonfire
Before reporting a nuisance bonfire, please try and speak to the neighbour and ask them politely to look at putting the bonfire out if it is causing you problems.
Bonfires can become a statutory nuisance if they are frequent and persistent. The material being burnt that causes excess smoke and/or an unpleasant smell may also cause a statutory nuisance.
If your neighbour ignores your request, we will investigate your complaint - if we feel it may be a statutory nuisance.
What we will do
If deemed a statutory nuisance, we will visit the site of the bonfire and then speak to the person responsible for the fire. A letter may also be considered the best course of action.
If the issue continues, we will consider any legal action needs to be taken for that particular case.
Bonfire advice
It is essential to keep a bonfire away from windows, trees and other materials that will burn easily and have a bucket of water nearby. Neighbours should also be informed of any plans you have for a bonfire. You can find more information by downloading the Garden Bonfires leaflet.
Before having a bonfire, consider other methods of disposing of your waste such as composting, recycling or visiting your local household waste site/tip.