Letter: A dangerous threat

I feel sorry for those who bought wood burning stoves in good faith – and, indeed, those businesses who sell them - now that we are aware of the immense harm they cause.

The pollutants from wood burning are known now to be an especially dangerous threat to clean air and good health.

As one who grew up in 1950s Manchester and endured regular smogs, it has always felt intuitively wrong to burn anything in our cities, especially after the hard won Clean Air Acts got rid of the smogs.

Now that we are better informed about the nature of the pollutants from wood burning, I hope we can move gently to a future ban, giving people time to move away from wood burning dependency.

I hope that those who who burn just for the look of it, will show restraint – for their own health and that of their neighbourhood.

Mark Doel

Psalter Lane, Sheffield, S11