ALMOST 50 complaints were made to Barnsley Council over the last 12 months about illegal wood burning, it has been revealed.

A Freedom of Information request shows that 48 complaints were made to the council over the last year.

A total of seven letters were sent to residents either warning them or offering guidance.

According to government-reviewed evidence, particles pose the greatest risk because they can be drawn deeper into the lungs, and even absorbed into the bloodstream.

This fine particle pollution is associated with a range of serious health conditions including heart disease, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function and lung cancer.

But campaign group Mums for Lungs has issued a warning to councils across the country that they are failing to tackle air pollution from illegal wood burning.

Barnsley Council fared better than most of the country, with many councils not sending out warning letters at all.

Jemima Hartshorn, from Mums for Lungs, said: “If you open your door on a cold night in any town, city or village you can smell the wood pollution.

“You wouldn’t want a truck pumping air pollution into your front room, but ironically even modern wood stoves cause six times the fine particle pollution of an HGV.

“We’ve known about the health impacts of wood burning for decades.

“We need to make sure councils are given the tools and resources to protect children from toxic pollution and not just talk about the risks.

“The current system is obviously not fit for purpose.”