Southend’s Older People’s Assembly has called for tougher rules on bonfires, which it claims has a knock-on effect on people’s health.That's right. They want to ban bonfires. Totally.
The group wants Southend Council to create bylaws to prevent people burning household rubbish, with tough penalties for those who make others’ lives a misery through inconsiderate bonfires.
And if they get their way, forget firing up the barbie on any of the two BBQ-friendly days we may get each summer. It'll be next...
Is this shit ever going to stop? It has all gone to far, we'll never be able to get back any real 'proportionality' in everyday life. There are so many tedious representative groups all demanding this and that and you can't even tell them to F-off anymore without risking your liberty from the people's pleece who, it seems, really don't have anything better to do these days*.
ReplyDelete*I do know that many officers do a great job and in tryinmg circumstances from without as well as within but the day is coming when they won't.
It's OK, they'll be cremated before anyone has a chance to listen to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat are they going to do when the dormant South Benfleet volcano erupts?
ReplyDeleteI had a bonfire in my back garden. I received a letter from the council, telling me that it was illegal and I should not do it again, as I was risking a fine. I consulted a solicitor and found that it is not illegal, and so long as the fire is under control and not producing toxic smoke or smoke which could obscure visibility on any nearby roads, I could have one whenever I wanted. I wrote back to council and informed them that their lies hadn't worked and that I was going to start my next bonfire with the threatening letter they had sent me. They didn't reply.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite surprised to find this coming from "Southend’s Older People’s Assembly" (fake charity?) since garden bonfires are really quite an oldie thing to do. My old dad, R.I.P., had one about once a fortnight and regarded it as a public spirited chore.
ReplyDeleteThey've got a page called
ReplyDeletesouthendopa
"What are they going to do when the dormant South Benfleet volcano erupts?"
ReplyDeleteBan it, what else? If the Icelanders weren't such a bunch of wimps they'd ban their volcano - end of problem.
We have a ban on bonfires here, it doesn't apply to chimeneas so I burn it all in a big aluminium pot.
ReplyDeleteIf they ever come and check, there's no burn-mark on the ground.
One neighbour (whose name is, by entire coincidence, Brown) was spiteful enough to leave their washing out overnight so they could complain about the smoke-smell induced by my late night fire-and-firewater combo.
I burned some MDF. They failed in their attempt because later that night, it bucketed down.
Pity. I'm looking forward to the council visit. I have the Rocky Horror outfit all ready.
"It has all gone to far, we'll never be able to get back any real 'proportionality' in everyday life. "
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to think the answer's 'No'. And with iSave's insistence on 'community', we might just see more of this, not less.
"I wrote back to council and informed them that their lies hadn't worked and that I was going to start my next bonfire with the threatening letter they had sent me. They didn't reply."
You'd think a council would know the law. Or does it hope its residents don't?
Either way, a letter falsely claiming an offence must breach some standard or guidelimne or something. Rather than burn it, consider seeing if it'll light a fire under some regulatory body?
"...garden bonfires are really quite an oldie thing to do. "
I'd have thought so ttoo.
But they are just learning from the other agitators...
"They've got a page called
southendopa"
Shame they don't allow comments... ;)
"Pity. I'm looking forward to the council visit. I have the Rocky Horror outfit all ready."
ReplyDeleteHeh!
Bonfires are already illegal in Ireland. Just thought you'd all like to know!
ReplyDeletePresumably the Irish special-waste-disposal trade association lobbied for that.
It'll happen here before long - as soon as local councils realise they're losing out on bin tax because people are disposing of their own waste perfectly legally.
I kept a whole load of plants alive through the snow-and-ice winter. They were in the bubble-wrap insulated greenhouse and I kept the greenhouse warm by building a brick and rock clad garbage burner. Some of the burner and all of the convoluted chimney is inside the greenhouse. It was toasty inside the greenhouse when the fires in the burner were raging, the rocks, bricks and cement kept the place warm when the fires were out.
ReplyDeleteNow, in April, I'm still taking combustible waste from various neighbours to burn in my greehouse heater!
"It'll happen here before long - as soon as local councils realise they're losing out on bin tax because people are disposing of their own waste perfectly legally."
ReplyDeleteYup. If the H&S scare doesn't do it, they'll try something else.
"Now, in April, I'm still taking combustible waste from various neighbours to burn in my greehouse heater!"
Hey, here's a way to get the Greens onside..! ;)