Licence needed for bonfires that do not meet certain criteria

Exemptions should be applied for as soon as possible in advance, but allowing at least ten working days before the event.

Bonfires which are held in relation to a designated event should also be held within 48 hours before or after the date of the event. In the case of Guy Fawkes Night this is between 3 and 7 November.

In November 2019, the States agreed that new legislation would be introduced which provided new powers to deal with air pollution locally.

This legislation came into force on 2 December 2019 and introduced air quality standards and objectives, a licensing system for certain operations that produce emissions and new controls over open burning (bonfires).

There is a general exemption for small-scale bonfire events, subject to meeting the following conditions:

 There are no more than 20 people are attending the event;

 Only wood or dry, plant matter (green waste) is burned;

 The fire is supervised by a responsible adult;

 The fire is not more than 3m high, 3m wide and 6 cubic meters in total size (to give a comparison, 6 cubic meters is roughly the same size as a standard skip);

 It does not burn for more than 24 hours (and this includes relighting the fire);

 It does not cause dark smoke.

If the bonfire does not meet all of these conditions, contact needs to be made with the director of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation who may issue a written exemption, subject to certain requirements being met.

Anyone who has already declared a firework event at gov.gg/fireworks but is also intending to have a bonfire at the event, which does not meet the conditions above for general exemption, should be aware that they will still be required by law to apply for a written exemption.

• Details for how to apply for a written exemption can be found at gov.gg/pollution