The UK government has instructed local authorities to crack down on people who use wood-burning stoves to keep warm, threatening them with £300 fines or criminal prosecution if they continue to defy state climate diktats.
The use of wood-burning stoves has increased dramatically in the United Kingdom, owing in large part to the Conservative Party-led governments’ obsession over the last ten years with implementing globalist green agenda policies while refusing to tap the nation’s more reliable natural resources such as natural gas.
The government in Westminster has now instructed local authorities to use the 2021 Environment Act to levy spot fines of £175 to £300 on those who use wood-fire stoves that do not meet state air pollution standards, according to The Times of London.
Local councils were also informed that those who consistently violate the codes could face criminal prosecution, which could result in a criminal record and fines of £5,000, plus an additional £2,500 for each additional day that they use wood to heat their homes.
Thérèse Coffey, the Environment Secretary in charge of the crackdown, stated that she wants the government to take a “educational approach” to issues involving older stoves and the burning of wet wood, adding, “We want people to do the right thing.”
Over the last year, British households have seen electricity prices rise by 65.4 percent and natural gas prices rise by 122.9 percent.