Changes to Salford Smoke Control Orders

The aim of a smoke control area is to improve air quality and protect public health by restricting chimney smoke emissions, and the use of more polluting solid fuels and solid fuel appliances.

Between 1959 and 1976 using the Clean Air Act, 84 known smoke control orders were introduced across most of the city by the previous district and borough councils that merged to form Salford City Council.

Salford City Council is now making an order to remove these existing separate smoke control areas and proposes to replace them with a single city wide smoke control area order so that:

• The whole of the city including moored vessels on the city’s waterways are covered. Since the existing smoke control orders were made, Salford has been subject to boundary changes and new development. Pockets of land now developed for residential use are not covered by a smoke control order. Whilst these areas are relatively small, there is a risk that unauthorised fuels or non-exempt appliances can be used, leading to reduced air quality and associated health impacts across the city.
• Some redundant provisions are removed from the existing smoke control orders.
• Enforcement of chimney smoke emissions would be consistent across the city and fairer for all.
• Consistent and accurate information would be provided to home buyers as to whether their property is located in a smoke control area.

What are the penalties?

If smoke is emitted from a relevant chimney (chimney of any building/ moored vessel or the furnace of any fixed boiler or industrial plant) in a smoke control area, a penalty of between £175 to £300 may be issued by the council to the person liable. For moored vessels, to be liable for a penalty for smoke emissions, the smoke must have been emitted from an appliance used for heating or cooking – smoke emissions solely from the vessel’s engine to propel the vessel or to provide electric power to the vessel are exempt.

In a smoke control area, it is also an offence to acquire or sell controlled (unauthorised) solid fuels for use in a smoke control area and with a non-approved appliance. The fine can be up to £1000. For moored vessels, this doesn’t apply to fuel to be used to propel the vessel or to provide electric power to the vessel.

More about the proposals

You can find out more about the proposals and respond to a questionnaire about moored vessels by reading the following documents:

• Public Notice (Adobe PDF format, 130kb)
• The revocation order (to remove the existing 84 separate smoke control areas) (Adobe PDF format, 812kb).
• The proposed smoke control order (to create a single city wide smoke control area) (Adobe PDF format, 442kb).
• Moored vessel smoke control questionnaire (Microsoft Word format, 32kb)

How to have your say

Any person who may be affected by the Proposed Order may object to its confirmation by giving notice in writing on or before 17 August 2026. Please email airquality@salford.gov.uk or write to Environmental Protection, Place Directorate, Salford City Council, Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Salford. M27 5AW

Objections to the confirmation of the Revocation Order must be sent to the Secretary of State on or before 17 August 2026. Please email Air.Quality@defra.gov.uk or write to Air Quality and Industrial Emissions, DEFRA, Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF

This page was last updated on 22 June 2026