A CHARITY has joined forces with community leaders to urge residents to avoid pollution from household burning.

The Environment Centre has partnered with Southampton City Council, Eastleigh Borough Council, New Forest District Council and Winchester City Council to support residents in avoiding air pollution from household burning.

The partnerships aim is to improve air quality and while the winter campaign focuses on burning in homes, the summer campaign is due to focus on burning outside of the home.

Households thinking of having a bonfire are now set to be asked if they can they avoid burning or burn cleaner and burn safely with residents urged to think twice before lighting a bonfire and consider alternatives to burning.

With an increased use of fire pits and chimneys to keep warm when meeting outside, the group is now advising that residents don’t put any old wood on the fire, but use ‘ready to burn’ or smokeless fuels.

It says that bonfires can cause harmful particulate air pollution which negatively impacts the health of the heart and lungs.

Councillor Steve Galton, Southampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment said: “The Council’s environmental health service can take enforcement action where smoke from regular burning causes a nuisance to neighbours, so we suggest that you put things like grass cuttings into compost bins or our garden waste service, wood to be stored until dry enough to use and household items to be reused or taken to our Household Waste and Recycling Centres.”

Councillor Rupert Kyrle, Eastleigh Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Environment added: "We are asking residents to think twice before lighting a bonfire this summer. Air pollution produced by bonfires can affect the health of those around you, so it's best to avoid bonfires, use our waste disposal services, and only use 'ready to burn' fuels on fire pits and chimneys."