Dad launches bonfire battle in Bridport (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Dad launches bonfire battle in Bridport

3:38pm Thursday 2nd July 2009

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A BRIDPORT father is mounting a one-man campaign to get bonfires banned in the town.

Alan Lake, 43, of Mountjoy, says the fires are causing an environmental and health hazard and they should all be put out.

Mr Lake said from his home overlooking the whole town he often sees as many as 50 per cent of homes enveloped in a huge cloud of smoke.

“I live on a hill above Bridport and I watch the plumes of smoke blowing over the town and through people’s houses. I counted six bonfires last night. I was sitting watching TV with my nine-year-old daughter Zoe and the whole house reeked of smoke. It is not socially acceptable not to be able to have the windows or door open in the summer.

“I am trying to have bonfires banned from the Bridport area. I want them banned for health and safety reasons, not just because people can’t hang their washing out, but because people burn toxic things not just leaves which aren’t about at this time of year anyway.

“They are burning God knows what. There are toxic fumes that smell like electrical products, plastic burning fumes being released into the environmental and more importantly into people’s lungs.

“A lot of older people live in Bridport and a lot of them have breathing problems and I am sure it is damaging.

“It is very anti-social. If a group of kiddies turned up outside your house and had a so-called controlled bonfire and set light to it and the smoke was billowing into your house you would call the police and say they were behaving anti-socially.

“We have a right to breath clean air.”

Mr Lake says as a self-employed man running a business he has little time to organise a petition but everyone he has spoken to supports him.

Now he wants people to write to the paper with their views, so he can gather support and try to get the fires outlawed.

West Dorset District Council says it will take all reasonable steps to investigate and, if appropriate, to take formal action in the event of justified complaints of statutory nuisance – including from garden bonfires.

The spokesman said: “Once a complaint has been received we log it on our complaints record system. We aim to respond to complaints within three working days.

“Complainants have to supply their name, address and contact telephone number, together with the nature of their complaint.

“Often complainants will be asked to keep log sheets detailing their experience of nuisance. The officer will use the information supplied to decide what further action, if any, is required.

“If satisfied that a complaint of statutory nuisance is justified, an abatement notice will be served upon the person responsible. Failure to comply with an abatement notice is an offence and legal proceedings may result.

“If found guilty the maximum penalty is presently set at £5,000 on domestic premises and £20,000 on commercial premises.”

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