England to phase out coal, wet wood burning in homes from 2021

LONDON: To encourage the use of cleaner fuels at home, the British government on Friday unveiled plans to phase out the sale of coal and wet wood for domestic burning.

According to the plan, the sales of coal and wet wood will be phased out between 2021 and 2023, giving the public and suppliers time to move to cleaner alternatives such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels.

Wood burning stoves and coal fires are the single largest source of the toxic pollutant PM2.5, emitting twice the contribution of industrial combustion and three times the contribution of road transport, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. These regulations will apply in England only.