THERE is an old saying that there is ‘no smoke without fire’ and that certainly came to the fore when a councillor spoke of his disappointment when told that bonfires could be lit at the allotments at The Basins in Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council’s environment committee meeting were surprised when they heard that the Basins allotments advisory board had made a U-turn on its thoughts about bonfires.

The Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, who acted as chairman for the environment meeting, told councillors that the board had agreed at its meeting on February 23 that it recommended to ‘support the town council’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and that the lighting of fires on the allotment garden is strictly prohibited’ as part of the updated rules and guidance.

But Cllr Lloyd, who is also chairman of the advisory board, said that there had been a change of heart when the group met again on March 11 and reinstated in the tenancy agreement that bonfires could be allowed.

The board resolved to allow fires for the burning of materials from the allotment garden only such as diseased plants and dried-out organic material that would burn without smoke or hazardous residue between 3 pm and 7 pm in summer and from 3 pm to dusk in winter.

But the U-turn definitely did not go down well with Cllr Mark Lithgow , who said: “I am very disappointed that we have rescinded on the ‘no fires’ ruling,”

“There are huge emissions of carbon from bonfires and we do have a climate change policy.”

The mayor said that only a small number of allotment tenants actually had bonfires.

Cllr Mike McGuffie, said: “I do not think this will be a super-problem.”

The allotments advisory board decided at its meeting on March 11 that: “All fires must be always attended and not cause a nuisance to neighbouring residents or other plot holders.

“All fires must be fully extinguished before leaving the site.#

“The tenant shall not bring or allow to be brought on to the allotment site any materials for the purpose of burning such waste.

“Accelerants should not be used.”

Councillors voted in favour of asking the board to look again at the issue of bonfires especially considering the fact the council is trying to be proactive on making a difference to climate change.

It has been proven that bonfires significantly contribute to carbon emissions, releasing carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants that impact air quality and public health.

The rules and guidance for the Basins allotments also states that dogs must not be brought onto any allotment unless they are on a lead, while hens can be kept at the site but only with the prior written consent of the council.

The information comes under the heading of ‘dogs, livestock and bees’ and Cllr John Thorne queried why there was no mention of bees in the report.

Cllr Lloyd said this would be amended.