A council in Yorkshire has slapped a household with a £175 fine for using a wood burning stove which emits “unreasonable and excessive smoke”.

Wakefield Council dished out the penalty as part of measures updated in December.

The measures allow environmental health officers to issue fixed penalty notices to penalise emissions.

Current rules restrict the type of wood burners and fuel that can be used in homes.

The Smoke Control Order, which covers homes in Wakefield, means only “exempt” appliances approved by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs can be used in homes.

It also means only wood with a low moisture level can be burned.

The local council’s climate change cabinet member Jack Hemingway revealed action to enforce the air quality standards was now being taken.

He wrote: “The owner of a stove has been issued with a financial penalty notice to stop unreasonable and excessive smoke from a chimney serving a stove.

A wood burning stove cost a family £175 in a fineGETTY

“The penalty was a £175 fine. It is the first notice served since December 2023 when cabinet agreed to enforce recent changes to legislation brought in to improve air quality and protect health.”

Wakefield Council investigated 216 complaints related to domestic chimneys between 2019 and 2022.