Deadly smogs set to return to Sheffield as woodburners are fired up for 'cheap heat'

People in Meersbrook have noticed an increase in smoke as energy prices have soared, raising concerns over a rise in respiratory and circulatory conditions such as asthma and strokes.

The area is between busy Chesterfield Road and Heeley and Meersbrook Allotments, which has more than 500 plots and is well known for bonfires throughout winter. And its valley bottom position causes a concentration of pollutants.

A post on ‘Only in Meersbrook’ sparked a fierce debate, with some agreeing, some criticising people for ‘moaning’, some blaming energy companies and some glorying in ‘burning any old rubbish this winter’. The original post warned that from now until spring Meersbrook was ‘not fit for humans’. It added: “The amount of log burners, the amount of of smoke - if you’re walking in Meersbrook after 6pm I feel for you.”

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Website addresspollution.org shows Valley Road has ‘high’ air pollution and is in the 71st percentile nationally. It exceeds three World Health Organisation Limits: fine and ultra-fine particles and nitrogen dioxide.

Green councillor Paul Turpin, who lives in Meersbrook, said woodsmoke was a longstanding problem but he understood people needed ‘cheap heat’.

Pollution officially causes more than 500 early deaths in Sheffield each year. But that is seen as a conservative figure and the real number is more than double, he believes. He added: “What really frustrates me is that we should have started dealing with the climate emergency 20 years and invested in low energy buildings and clean energy.

“But even now councillors are using the cost of living crisis as a reason not to tackle it, continuing to prioritise short-term issues. Unfortunately woodburning has been encouraged as clean and safe for a long time and it would be a monumental thing to change.”

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In the discussion, one woman said: ‘Is that what the ever-present stench of damp fires I’m smelling? Thought it was odd that it’s every evening!’

Another: ‘Totally agree. Rushdale Road area is so bad. The smoke actually finds its way inside our house!’

A woman stated: ‘I find it bizarre in these times of climate change and engagement that nothing is being said about this. To allow people to blindly harm themselves and their children from breathing particulates is just negligence from the authorities.

‘In a few years this will be another public health disaster when more and more people are suffering the effects of burning at home’.

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One said: ‘Allotment fires also contribute this time of year and garden fires and fire pits’.

One blamed government: ‘Not just log burners but fireplaces are being opened up on a grand scale due to government's mismanagement of our energy needs and it’s only gonna get worse. Get ready for smog street’.

Others got into technical discussions about the cleanliness of efficient burning with one admitting that using the cleanest ‘kiln dried wood’ was an ‘expensive option’.

One man was critical: ‘Only in Moansbrook - not heard this one before - well done!’

And one dismissed pollution as an issue: ‘I’ll be burning any old sh*t this winter. It’s cheaper than my central heating’.

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