For wood burning in smokeless zones.
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952.
The Act introduced a number of measures to reduce air pollution, especially by introducing 'smoke control areas' in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be burnt. By shifting homes' sources of heat towards cleaner coals, electricity, and gas, it reduced the amount of smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires. Reinforcing these changes, the Act also included measures to relocate power stations away from cities, and for the height of some chimneys to be increased.
As a result of this act which has been updated since certain appliances were made exempt and it was then subsequently legal to burn non approved fuels such as wood in the appliances specified within smoke controlled zones.
The testing of such appliances was carried out by DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) which is why the phrase ‘DEFRA Approved Appliance’ is so widely used with regard to solid fuel appliances that can be used to burn wood in smoke controlled zones.
If you are considering installing a stove to burn wood in your property it is important to find out whether or not your house falls within an area where the use of A DEFRA approved appliance is necessary.
Please follow this link for further information http://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/locations.php