Garden bonfires

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) have offered advice to residents due to an increase in incidents involving garden bonfires, which are getting out of control.

ESFRS requests that residents avoid having garden bonfires, due to the increased fire risk that this creates.

Garden fires cause both a nuisance to neighbours and other members of the public. With large numbers of residents remaining inside their homes because they are self-isolating or working from home it is important that we can all get clean fresh air into our homes.

While there are no laws against having a bonfire, there are laws for the nuisance they can cause.

Household waste should not be burned at all; if you do you might be committing an offence and could face prosecution. Further guidance is available.

A more responsible approach would be to compost or recycle your garden waste at a local recycling centre. These are not only safer options, prevent a potential offence being committed, but also better for the environment and for the more vulnerable members of our communities who are self-isolating at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For further general information, go to our bonfires webpage.