Customers and well-known coalman say housecoal ban is ‘no big deal’

Last week the government announced that domestic burning of housecoal and wet wood will be banned as of February 2021to help cut air pollution.

Bags of logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and petrol stations often contain wet wood which produces more pollution.

Peggy Broadhurst, who lives alone just outside of Ulverston, said the ban of housecoal represented the ‘end of an era’.

“My house is heated by my back boiler which is attached to my Aga so I do get through quite a bit especially in the winter,” the 81-year-old said.

“Banning housecoal won’t make a huge difference because we’ll just convert to smokeless. It is a shame because you can’t beat a fire using the best coal from places like Colombia but it’s no big deal to us.

“I’ve got no plans to ever stop using coal and there’s a lot of my neighbours who are the same because that’s what we’ve been brought up with.”

Ulverston coal merchant Ged McDermott, who runs his company alongside his sons Scott and Brett, said customers will simply switch to smokeless coal.

While smokeless does cost slightly more than housecoal - approximately £5 per 50kg bag, it tends to burn for longer and is therefore more efficient.

The McDermotts supply thousands of tonnes of coal a year with housecoal representing only around 30 per cent of their sales.

However, the industry-wide accepted opinion of ‘Colombian coal being the best grade’ will be a loss, Mr McDermott said.

“Decent coal merchants who value their customers know exactly what goes into their coal and where it comes from,” he said.

The McDermotts have just opened a new depot at Sowerby Woods Business Park in Barrow so customers can collect coal directly at a time which suits them.

“The backing we’ve had from local people has been tremendous,” Mr McDermott said.

“If we didn’t sell high grade coal then customers wouldn’t keep coming back to us.

“Without our customers we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”