Pollution control - air quality
Smoke control areas
Under the Clean Air Act local authorities may
declare the whole or part of the borough to be a smoke control
area. It is an offence to emit smoke from a chimney of a building,
from a furnace or from any fixed boiler if located in a designated
smoke control area.
- The majority of the occupied properties
in the borough are within the smoke control area.
- The only settlements of more than two dwellings that are
excluded are at Red Lumb and Lanehead in Rochdale. The only
other areas that are not covered are the open moor lands around
Littleborough and Milnrow.
- The borough is covered by a total of 60 orders brought
in between 1954 and 1989. The orders refer to the burning of
fuel in 'grates' or fireplaces.
- They require that either an authorised smokeless fuel is burnt
or an exempt appliance is used. Exempt appliances
are capable of burning an unauthorised
or inherently smoky solid fuel without emitting smoke.
- It is an offence to emit smoke from a fireplace in a smoke
control area if the smoke is caused by burning a non-authorised
fuel in a non-exempt fireplace.
Up to date information on authorised fuels and exempted
fireplaces can be found at the UK Smoke Control Areas website.
Details of current air quality for Rochdale and other Greater
Manchester Boroughs can be viewed at the MAPAC
Air Quality website.