Fumes or gas nuisances
What are fumes or gas nuisances?
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Fumes or gas nuisances happen when bad smells or harmful gases affect people’s health or comfort. This can come from factories, cars, or other sources that release fumes into the air. If the fumes are strong or long-lasting, this will need to be looked into and fixed. You can tell us online if a nuisance disrupts the enjoyment of your home or harms your health.
Examples of fumes or gas nuisances:
- Emissions from industrial sites or chimneys.
- Fumes from poorly maintained equipment or vehicles.
- Harmful gases from commercial fridges or coolers.
What the law says
We can investigate complaints about fumes and gas. This is under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA). This would make it a statutory nuisance. A statutory nuisance is defined as something that:
- Interferes with the use or enjoyment of your home in an unreasonable manner.
- Injures health or is likely to injure health.
What you can do about fume or gas nuisances
You can have a friendly word with your neighbour about the problem. This is if you feel safe doing so. For help, see our 'top tips for approaching neighbours.' If the issue continues, you can submit a nuisance complaint.
Reporting a fumes or gas nuisance
To report a fume or gas nuisance, you will need to provide:
- A detailed description of the fumes and gases nuisance and how it affects you.
- The dates and times of the nuisance and where the fumes or gases are coming from. Please state the exact address or a nearby location.
- Any relevant evidence to support your complaint. Such as photos.
What happens next:
- An officer will review your report within five working days.
- Based on your report, we will decide whether to proceed. We may visit the site or contact the responsible parties. We may ask for more evidence from you if we need it.
- If the fumes and gas are a nuisance, we will issue an abatement notice. It will need a resolution of the issue.
- Failure to follow an abatement notice can lead to fines. The fines could be up to £5,000 for domestic cases. Or £20,000 for commercial cases, or further legal action.