North West Leicestershire District Council is one of two local authorities asking residents to support work to understand fuel burning trends as part of a Government-funded campaign.

The joint DEFRA-funded project sees North West Leicestershire District Council and Harborough District Council asking residents in both districts to complete a short survey about solid fuel burning.

In winter 2022, residents in both districts were asked about their solid fuel burning habits over the previous 12 months.

With the peak burning season now over, the authorities are once again asking their communities to take part in the research project.

The new survey can be filled in online by anyone, not just those with a wood burning stove or fire in their home.

Participants have a chance to be entered into a prize draw to win tickets for local leisure attractions.

Although both districts have generally good air quality, the survey is part of work to understand effective ways to reduce the number of particulates in the air from solid fuel burning.

The survey can be found HERE.

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Particulates can be damaging to people who breathe them in, particularly those with respiratory illnesses, like Asthma, younger people and older people.

The project aims to advise local people how they can help to reduce particulates in the air through three simple steps:

• Change the appliance - moving to a modern wood burner from an open fire cuts down particulates by about 90%
• Use a 'cleaner' fuel - burning seasoned, rather than unseasoned wood reduces particulates
• Maintain your system - sweep the chimney once a year

Paul Sanders, Head of Community Services at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: "Thank you to the residents who took part in our first survey, the majority of people were following best practice in terms of solid fuel burning, but we also learned more about people's understanding of potential health dangers. Widening the survey will now help us to see if the results are similar for other communities."