When are you supposed to have a bonfire?
Posted by oggglyog@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 213 comments
If it’s 10am on a Sunday then Steve has his washing out and is fuming.
6pm on a Wednesday and Sarah’s children are playing outside and choking on the fumes
3am on a Thursday and Clive can’t sleep
When is it actually socially acceptable to have a bonfire? Given that it requires half decent weather to have one.
Probablyatrollmaybe@reddit
This is the problem with the UK. Wanna sit around a small fire in your garden ? Complaints and laws. Wanna go out in the countryside to not bother anyone and do it ? Private land and no bonfire/bbq signs.
Literally people in the UK will move into a semi and feel entitled to two car lengths of road parking outside, complete and total silence (unless they want to make noise) to have a say in how you use your garden etc.
CrinkleGherkin@reddit
Or maybe people don't like the smell of smoke blasting their way?
Probablyatrollmaybe@reddit
Maybe… and their right not to smell a fire trumps someone’s right to have one ?
CrinkleGherkin@reddit
Of course but surely its considerate of people not to have them if they don't need to?
Probablyatrollmaybe@reddit
I just think the UK population are incredibly entitled genuinely. You know what I think when I smell fire or a BBQ. I think “huh someone must be having a fire” and I get on with my day.
CrinkleGherkin@reddit
A BBQs fine but a full blown bon fire? Not really.
Its ironic you say the UK population is entitled. Like I said in my other reply, my neighbours had a bon fire going. These are the same neighbours who are the ones that sit outside all night being loud and obnoxious. Playing music loudly, shouting and screaming. Yet the ones that complain are the entitled ones? No.
lovemycat02@reddit
Do people have bonfires in their own back gardens???
RaspberryJammm@reddit
Some people burn garden waste, some crazy bastards burn plastic
Vequihellin@reddit
Or commercial waste like the AH a few doors down who's been sanctioned by the council a few times. He regularly burns pressurised canisters of something noxious. The smoke is thick and black and toxic.
DopeAsDaPope@reddit
My dad does it sometimes when he's built up enough of a stack of old papers and bits of wood he wants done with
PersonalityTough6148@reddit
Yes. Our neighbours frequently had one every time it was sunny... Just in time to make your lovely fresh sheets stink.
Who looks outside on a sunny day and thinks "great day to burn stuff and suffocate the neighbours/make their washing stink???'
I guess it makes your neighbours less likely to sit outside so you don't have to listen to them??
thebarrcola@reddit
“Suffocate the neighbours”. At least we know you’re not prone to over reacting.
Blondibee@reddit
I’m guessing you’ve never had your house fill with smoke then 🙄
thebarrcola@reddit
No I can’t say I have and to be fair I certainly would be pissed off if that happened. My experience of my neighbours having bonfires has been a mild smell of burning wood. Maybe our neighbours have different ideas of what constitutes a bonfire, sounds like your neighbours have incinerated the entire garden and potentially an old tire or two while mine burnt some dried out hedge trimmings and lopped off branches.
OkSun8521@reddit
Air pollution is actually a very big deal.
Think of pretty much any health condition. Air pollution either makes it worse, or causes it.
ObjectiveHornet676@reddit
I do. Sitting around a fire is one of life's greatest pleasures.
Past-Obligation1930@reddit
It’s ok to have a bonfire, but it’s not ok when your neighbours have washing out, and if they are sitting out enjoying the garden. Time limited for an hour or two, and actively managed so not dangerous and / or smoky. A lot of people annoy their neighbours because their bonfires are too smoky / are not hot enough to get the residual smoke up high.
I have a bonfire once a month on average, but I do have a fucking massive garden and if I burn stuff at the end it has a long way to get back to the neighbours’ houses.
lovemycat02@reddit
I think a small, contained BBQ-type fire is socially acceptable, but when I hear ‘bonfire’ I think of someone with a pile of wood etc just having a big fire because they can’t be arsed to go to the tip. Kinda thing you’d see in an American trailer park or on a farmer’s field.
atsevoN@reddit
I used to in the early 2000s with my dad as a kid, but it felt a bit more socially acceptable then. Or maybe not and we just had good neighbours
BrillsonHawk@reddit
Or you were the bad neighbours that everyone was too British to say anything about. Nobody likes inhaling smoke fumes all day
CtrlAltHate@reddit
3 years back our neighbours had a bonfire on Nov 5th that had flames taller than the houses.
I had to run out and move the cars so the heat didn't strip the paint off them.
atsevoN@reddit
We often had neighbours round and had some food/drink and some music so they couldn’t have been too bothered about inhaling the smoke
Sad_Interaction_2933@reddit
The further you go back the more acceptable it was. Various laws were introduced over the 20th century to reduce it and deal with smog etc. I’ve no idea if laws have changed since the 2000s but back then you would have at least had more people with a living memory of unrestrained burning, carrying on that practice. Dying off now.
Cheap_Television_988@reddit
That tracks with my experience tbh, my dad used to love a bonfire in the gardebwhen I was a kid. To conclude my waffle, I agree they seemed more acceptable up until about 15-20 years ago
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
I have one of those incinerator bins.
thatsconelover@reddit
Same, and I use it for burning dried garden waste after the green bin can't take any more.
OkSun8521@reddit
Please stop.
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
Why?
OkSun8521@reddit
You're damaging the health of everyone around you.
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
I'm sure they can handle a bit of burn wood and paper
OkSun8521@reddit
You seem like a selfish person.
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
Likewise.
OkSun8521@reddit
TIL caring about other people makes you selfish.
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
Trying to control what other people do for your own self is selfish. Don't prextend you actually are worried about people being around a tiny little bit of fire.
OkSun8521@reddit
Air pollution literally kills millions of people per year.
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
And how many do you think are killed by a handful of paper?
NecroVelcro@reddit
Yep. Some fuckwit caused carnage in a nearby village yesterday by letting his bonfire get out of control. A couple of sheds burnt down, an out-of-use community hall was affected, several roads were closed and some people were evacuated as a precaution.
Sburns85@reddit
Yeah I did one last year to get rid of a pile of tree stumps. But was done on a day with zero washing out
LikeEveryoneSheKnows@reddit
I've never done it myself (too scared lol) but I live in the country and plenty of folk do. My Dad got a good burn going last week to get rid of stuff that wouldn't fit in the paper recycling bin. I'd never do it in a town though!
KayGlo@reddit
One of our neighbours has one almost daily when it's sunny and it absolutely stinks our house our because they start it up towards the evening when everyone opens the windows
Sithsentinal@reddit
For us it's usually after 6pm and it's always made up of cardboard, paper, wood and plant material that can't be composted because it'll spread in the compost.
Once it's all burnt down any remaining ash is either mixed with some water to make an alkali e feed for some of my plants or is also added to the compost to add nitrogen, potassium and carbon.
Most of the time the fires I have are usually hot enough that there isn't any smoke (and quite often have the barrel glowing) so it doesn't affect the neighbours.
abcdefghabca@reddit
Dickhead next door had one like 12 midday yesterday, as soon as I put my washing out!
rustynoodle3891@reddit
My usually very nice neighbours were burning stuff Saturday evening and again yesterday morning. A quick shout over the fence would have been nice as I had windows and patio doors wide open.
I'd still take them over the last lot 1000 times but that's not really the point. I was cutting back some ivy a week or so ago, so I politely knocked and asked if they wanted me to pick up whatever fell on their side. Even though the plant originates on their side!
DopeAsDaPope@reddit
Idk why you're being downvoted lol, this is one of the politest things I've seen on Reddit xD
PersonalityTough6148@reddit
Never?
I've never understood having a bonfire in your own garden. What are you burning? Just take it to the tip.
It stinks and it annoys your neighbours. Stop being so annoying.
DopeAsDaPope@reddit
Papers and tree branches and old furniture that's fallen to bits
oggglyog@reddit (OP)
I’ve never had a bonfire in my life. I was just asking.
Lopsided_Snower@reddit
probs for the best mate, sounds like Clive's a bit of a coiled spring
sparklybeast@reddit
Wood?
Do you feel the same way about firepits and chimeneas? Because they're incredibly common round here, and frankly I don't see how they're any different to a bonfire (providing it's not being used to burn random shite).
Lopsided_Snower@reddit
"providing it's not being used to burn random shite"
oh of course, only the finest cured maple logs, sir
Z1L0G@reddit
if (could be a big if, granted) firepits etc are fuelled with properly dried wood, there'll be very little smoke. Bonfires are normally used to get rid of green wood, so they're going to be smokey.
JustAnotherFEDev@reddit
My neighbour occasionally burns old furniture. That furniture is likely IKEA or Argos stuff, so mostly glue and resin 🙁
He's not the sharpest
PersonalityTough6148@reddit
Oh heck. Toxic fumes.. lovely.
JustAnotherFEDev@reddit
Proper star, he is... 🙁
Bicolore@reddit
Definitely reasonable for most people. Some of us have bigger gardens and its just not practical to take it to the tip.
We normally pile ours up and burn it nov 5th as its socially acceptable.
OkSun8521@reddit
Just put it in the bin like a normal person.
Bicolore@reddit
Sorry, I can’t fit a half ton tree stump in my bin.
OkSun8521@reddit
Cut it in half.
PersonalityTough6148@reddit
I don't think we have a massive garden but we have huge hedges and lots of bushes. I compost a lot, make dead hedges and borrowed a wood chipper which I then put back onto the fruit trees as mulch.
I just thinking burning stuff seems really counterproductive. Everything coming off the garden could be used to fertilise it.
Bicolore@reddit
We compost everything we can here. Wood goes for firewood, small branches get chipped.
However we have a high volume of stuff that we cannot compost, chip or use as fire wood. Such as invasive weeds (ie horsetail), clippings from laurel, tree stumps, diseased wood and various other bits.
Like I say we have one or two bonfires a year, its not excessive but there certainly is a level of garden waste that's just not practical to repurpose or take to the tip.
TheRiddlerTHFC@reddit
My parents used to live in a big house. We had a bonfire in the garden to burn garden waste (this was years before green bins were a thing)
maelie@reddit
Same. My dad also had loads of confidential notes that needed to be destroyed so when we did the bonfire for garden stuff that would all get thrown on too. I remember it being maybe a once per year thing.
But my parent's garden was big and there was a field at the back of it rather than someone else's house. The bit where they did the bonfire was ticked right round the back and the elderly lady who lived next door on that side never went out in the garden anyway.
Loose-Ad-9884@reddit
I don’t drive so I can’t take it to the tip
OkSun8521@reddit
Put it in the bin.
daisyliight@reddit
I don’t think the tip accepts bodies :/
External-Piccolo-626@reddit
Usually green waste which just smoulders and stinks.
OkPea5819@reddit
Agreed. ‘When do you expect me to be obnoxious?’
rydieroo@reddit
Never. Dumbest tradition and holiday I’ve ever heard of
Anathemare@reddit
But you have heard of it.
rydieroo@reddit
Huh? I live in the UK so obviously I have because I have to deal with idiots and fireworks for an entire week every November where I have to sedate my dog so he doesn’t die of fear
rydieroo@reddit
And if you absolutely *must*, only on the day of the actual holiday itself, and if you have no neighbours and live in the country with lots of land. So 90% of people should not. lol
mootymoots@reddit
Not in a heatwave…
Bumpyslide@reddit
Unless you are my neighbour who sat playing a guitar in the garden with fire going in the 33 degree heat
Sad_Interaction_2933@reddit
Glad that’s over then, cracking out the matches
Oilfreeeggs@reddit
5th of November
cybertonto72@reddit
30% of N.Ireland would like a chat.
JimmieSavsscumsock@reddit
I'd just chat to them about extremist religious terrorism using foreign agents. Should go down well. If I remember, Guy Fawkes was an Italian trying to blow up people because they're not reading the goat herders guide to the galaxy right 👍.
Oh well, anyway about time it bloody rained!
Charging_Rhino@reddit
Fawkes wasn’t Italian. He’s believed to have been born in Yorkshire and was known as Guido whilst fighting for the Spanish.
JimmieSavsscumsock@reddit
Ah, thanks. I'll do a bit more research then.
cybertonto72@reddit
If you ever get a chance to 'have a chat' with the ones in N.Ireland that think bonfires are a good thing, can you video it and make sure you stream it. Because I don't think you would be able to use your fingers or knees after that 'chat' :-)
JimmieSavsscumsock@reddit
Bunch of thugs then.
Ok-Answer-7138@reddit
Correct
Calm-Homework3161@reddit
Bonfire? What do you mean, bonfire? See this sausage? The presence of this sausage means this is not a bonfire - this is a barbecue!
IkeTurn@reddit
Why would anyone feel the need to burn stuff, don't you have a proper place to take your rubbish?
oggglyog@reddit (OP)
Read
KalixStrife453@reddit
Just don't. What's the point. oOoOoO pretty flames.
JoeyJoJoeJr_Shabadoo@reddit
When you're doing well enough to live out in the country with a big garden and no neighbours
PennyBunPudding@reddit
My council estate used to just burn old furniture and one year they burned a fridge and the bonfire was green that was cool (and incredibly toxic)
Suspicious_Tie_4495@reddit
yeah the socially acceptable time for a bonfire seems to be whenever you're far enough away that nobody else can smell it or complain about it
Wolf-pack7@reddit
You don’t have to be doing well. My dad was a pretty low paid farm manager living in tied accommodation that happened to be in the middle of a load of fields. We often had bonfires - we only had a couple of neighbours and they were fine with it and had their own as well. If the neighbours washing was out then we could speak to them first so we either delayed the bonfire or they got their washing in.
Living in large urban areas for the last nearly 30 years though I’ve never had a bonfire.
shokalion@reddit
The only times I've ever burned waste anything used to be a bit of cardboard every now and then when my blue bin was full, but I had one of those garden incinerator bins, and it's quite possible with one if you don't over fill it to burn one of those very cleanly, I'm not going to say it made no smoke at all but it was nothing compared to a bonfire. You had a bit for the first couple of minutes when it was establishing but once things were properly alight it made no smoke at all.
Vequihellin@reddit
When you live in a built up residential area where all the houses around you are 50m or less away from you, it's not acceptable at all. It's inconsiderate and selfish. It seems like you cannot have a nice evening without someone lighting a bloody bonfire. You're also not supposed to start a bonfire during the day, BTW. Bonfires in closely packed housing developments are the problem here. If you're a farmer burning some stuff in a top field miles from the nearest house, then crack on, but if you're lighting a bonfire 5m from someone else's open windows, that makes you a problem.
Unhappy_Dingo_2345@reddit
Depends on the type.
large and recreational bonfire? keep it to bonfire night
small and purpose-built bonfire? about 4pm - 8pm
Reinvented-Daily@reddit
California American here (cause I lurk usually and wanna know what it's like across the water)-
Friday and Saturday evenings. Make it a thing with s'more, drinks, a whole thing. Invite the neighborhood.
Shockingly, there are rules to these things. They're such a staple thing in certain parts of the US that its developed its own etiquette:
The host provides the firepit, wood/fuel/charcoal, trashbags and s'mores stuff.
BYOB - if you're sharing, you need to make it known
it's usually potluck style for sides
BYOM if its a cookout kind - again, if sharing, make it known
whomever comes late has to bring an entire round for everyone (this is especially a thing for beach bonfire nights cause who tf wants to leave to get more beer when buzzed? Don't drink and drive)
everyone brings some paper plates/utensils/napkins
EVERYONE cleans up
So spread the word, invite your neighbors, maybe step it up and provide some beers the first time around. Make sure you have a garden hose available and have a fire control plan (I'm from SoCal, this is basically beaten into us as kids and then unfortunately experienced as time goes on), and become the cool neighbor Who Does Things.
In my experience, neighborhood bonfires usually start just before sundown and end around 10pm. Length and duration depend on amount of fuel and outdoor temp. Obviously late year ones tend to last longer simply cause sundown is earlier. Summer neighborhood ones are the shortest and often the most fun. Beach ones are just a damn good time.
lilphoenixgirl95@reddit
Wtf is “sundown”
Reinvented-Daily@reddit
Sundown- when the sun goes down, aka sunset, dusk, twilight
Buzzed - typically the stage before drunk, when it's still pleasant feeling and no one is absolutely shitfaced.
S'mores- a layered dessert sandwich: graham cracker top, marshmallow roasted over the fire to the holder's desired crispiness or burntness, chocolate pieces, then another piece of graham cracker. Heres a quick video - but he goes on about fire: Any fire in a firepit is good for s'mores. Your preferred doneness of marshmallow is your preferred doneness. There's no "right" or "perfect", its all subjective. I could have chosen a better video but I'm at work, sorry. https://youtu.be/hXxryXMgDUI?si=wCbPIJgFMaW_zUI-
Don't use Hershey's. It's awful. Use your preferred chocolate. Graham crackers are classic but any cookie can be used. I'm not sure about biscuits because I'm not entirely sure what the difference is. Let's say this: for less sweet, use biscuits. For ALL the sugar, use cookies.
Potluck - everyone (all guests) bring a dish to share between everyone. Typically a side, and Typically homemade. Some salads don't count.
Trashbags - I think you would call them bin bags i guess? Large bags in which trash/ garbage/refuse is placed to later be thrown away.
Mutteringsmuse@reddit
As long as the fire is contained and being watched you can have a fire at any time, pretty much anywhere. I was told this by the fire brigade when I had an issue with people burning tires on a public green at the back of my house.
wedontneednoeduc@reddit
In the colder months when windows are shut. Really not hard to do.
Prestigious_Emu6039@reddit
Get to know your neighbours and their pattern. Text when you are having a bonfire or things you are burning.
Grouchy-Split5667@reddit
Just ask your neighbours if it's ok. Job done.
TD_Meri@reddit
My neighbours burn stuff in their garden all the time. They burn literally everything, from garden waste to household rubbish to bodies idk. I can never hang my washing out unless I want it to stink. If my windows are open, my house stinks. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just occasionally, but it’s at least three or four times a week if it’s not raining.
CollectionStraight2@reddit
That is wild. Got to be against some kind of anti-social laws, surely?? Sorry you have to put up with that
Mr_Reaper__@reddit
Not between sunrise and sunset. And don't burn anything other than dry clean wood.
Batteredsoss@reddit
It’s Boucet not bucket.
oggglyog@reddit (OP)
Bouquet
Sure-Recognition-262@reddit
On the 5th of November.
That probably reads like a joke, but it's not - having a bonfire as a way of disposing of rubbish isn't really a done thing any more.
Worldly_Science239@reddit
Allotments have rules about when you can light fires to burn stuff
Our area it's:
you must comply with strict local scheduling rules: bonfires can only be lit one hour before dusk and are completely banned at weekends
Ok_Kale_3160@reddit
Ours is something like, no bonfires between March and the end of August. There's always a big rush and multiple people burning stuff before the spring 'deadline'
Ruskythegreat@reddit
How else am I supposed to get rid of the stack of old van tyres and several gallons of stale petrol?
ThreeDawgs@reddit
Dump it in the local canal and let Mother Nature wash it away for you.
Worst case scenario the fish build themselves an underwater car.
binaryhextechdude@reddit
The UK has a big enough problem with dumped rubbish without you joking about it.
ThreeDawgs@reddit
It’s okay, my completely non-toxic rubbish joke will just get lost into the atmosphere and float away to harmlessly join the troposphere with no further consequences.
Martipar@reddit
https://youtu.be/psUc_oBXE6c?t=338&si=vNH557f26ofZN0YN
Hwegh6@reddit
Send it to Northern Ireland so the Orange boys can suffocate us any time they feel like it, they're always setting fire to things.
Actually, please don't encourage them.
thorn312@reddit
Unless you're either of my neighbours apparently 🤣, they always mention in advance though so it's ok
mgorgey@reddit
Love a good bonfire.
era_hu@reddit
12th of July if you’re in Belfast
OkSun8521@reddit
FYI, everyone in Britain thinks this is nonsense is pathetic.
era_hu@reddit
As does half of the North
Kara_Zor_El19@reddit
Literally only on bonfire night
PresidentPopcorn@reddit
How much do you like your neighbours? Mine suck so I would have no issue burning some dry wood. I have a reasonable sized garden and they BBQ fish with my washing out so why not?
ImColinDentHowzTrix@reddit
I'm intrigued by the number of people who assume 'bonfire' is a substitute for a tip run. When I heard 'bonfire' I don't think of people burning rubbish, I think of a fire that's burning wood with people drinking, marshmallows, maybe bbq, families... Why do we assume OP means people burning their random crap instead of the tip?
Emotional_Butterf1y@reddit
After a football game in Paris.
Cool_Bit_729@reddit
I've burnt old timber when it's pissing down and cold before
IamlostlikeZoroIs@reddit
Depends where the wind is blowing, make sure it is blowing away from people and you’re all good. If you’re surrounded by people then probably just the 5th November.
Complifusedx@reddit
Used to be fine 10 years ago where we were (just outside village) but within the last few years if there is so much as a hint of smoke all hell breaks out on WhatsApp
LiterallyABigfoot@reddit
Oh no, do you have a neighbourhood group chat?
Complifusedx@reddit
Think it started up in/just after Covid. I will never join one again (this is from where my parents live) full of rubbish and nosy people
Far_Kaleidoscope5979@reddit
Summer evenings I have a fire and sit out with friends, I only really do it in the day to burn garden waste, but I do it when no neighbours have washing out.
Elegant-Scholar-2471@reddit
We’ve got zero neighbours as we live in the middle of the countryside. We have them often as we’ve got an acre and a half of land that we’re cutting the trees down on.
Alternative_Route@reddit
I live in a smoke free zone so apparently never.
That doesn't't seem to bother my neighbours though.
iamabigtree@reddit
You don't its socially unacceptable at all times when you have people around you.
PriceLive6912@reddit
Agreed, from my own experience leaving on the uncomfortable end.
I have however often felt the need to go near a bonfire on land just a thought tied with emotional well-being or even personal/faith
Don’t know what there is to arrange
DenoD_Horendous@reddit
Light rain
One-Penalty4690@reddit
I always was told after 6/7pm
Better-Inspector3849@reddit
I recently learned that bonfire night was our Anglo-Saxon Thunor bonfire tradition that was an ancient mid-autumn ritual dedicated to the thunder god, Thunor (the Saxon equivalent of Thor). It directly gave rise to our modern word "bonfire" (originally banefire, or "fire of bones"). We used to burn bones to scare off wyrms and it was also an offering to Thunor for calm weather.
Large_Island3199@reddit
A bonfire and a fuck off massive fire are two different things. A bonfire is more ceremonial and exclusive to November the 5th. Burning a bunch of garden waste and flammable junk you need destroying realistically you can do it whenever timing just comes down to if you’re bothered about not being an inconsiderate wanker.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
At least do it when its blowy.
So it doesn't hang around.
No_Pollution_950@reddit
Bonfire's are normally pretty big. If you're in a compact housing estate then it's almost always going to annoy somebody.
A contained fire, such as in a chimnea or incinerator then whenever you want so long as it's clean fuel. People BBQ in the middle of the day.
If you're burning all sorts of crap on it then I would save it for when it's dark, so people can't see all the shit floating around in the air and the thick black smoke.
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
And people barbeque in the middle of the day on a bed of on burning plastics and other toxic shit do they...?
No_Pollution_950@reddit
Did you even read my comment?
Ochib@reddit
You've never been to a major city, have you?
Jimquill@reddit
Its not a socially acceptable thing to do anymore. Expect neighbours knocking on your door to complain.
sparklybeast@reddit
Eh, the number of chimineas and firepits in neighbourhood belching out wood smoke would suggest otherwise.
Jimquill@reddit
Isn't that a little different? One is super high up and the other is on ground floor.
sparklybeast@reddit
Eh? Both are in gardens...
Jimquill@reddit
Oh. I'm thinking of chimneys on roofs
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
Still kill people.
Throwaway187493@reddit
That is all they can do is complain. Next
Jimquill@reddit
Eh, I think stinking up the whole street with a fire for no good reason is pretty selfish but that's just me
monk_e_boy@reddit
what a pampered life you live
Jimquill@reddit
Go on.
daisyliight@reddit
I guess be courteous if you see your immediate neighbours have windows open or back doors- give them a knock or pop a note through the door that you’re planning to have a bonfire incase they want to close their place up - ideally with notice, of course.
It’s unacceptable when you repeatedly intrude into someone else’s life.. at the end of the day, yes, you’re entitled to live as you please BUT if living in close proximity to others- it’s essential to include those around you in a decision that involuntarily includes them in the event.
If you don’t care for status quo, then don’t be surprised if people don’t care much about you.
Respect is (and often isn’t unfortunately) a two way street.
As a kid, a teacher taught me “treat others how you’d like to be treated” and that’s always stuck with me. Quite devastatingly it’s not common knowledge though.
Otherwise, bonfire away! Just make sure you do it safely! My Mum had a neighbour some years back and her fence would be hot to the touch. That’s quite concerning!
gorinlaz@reddit
In my rural village I see bonfires an awful lot, mostly from farmers but from a few occasional gardeners too. I recall doing lots of bonfires with my dad until about 2018 when he moved to the city. I also see a few bonfires too (maybe once every three months or so) but I'm not sure if anyone takes umbrage with it.
xoxo_xo@reddit
I personally have no issue with it at all. Maybe a courtesy call to let me know they were lighting one so I can take my washing in/close my windows would be nice but otherwise, go ahead!
OldEquation@reddit
I normally wait until the neighbours have lit one then I let rip with my own.
By keeping it out of sight of all the other houses I can ensure that all the blame goes to the neighbours with their visible bonfire.
Dr_Gillian_McQueef@reddit
I've burnt a brazier full of branches at dusk on mild evenings when neighbours have windows shut.
The branches burn very quickly because the air gets drawn into the brazier so it burns hot and fast.
Never lasts much longer than an hour.
R2-Scotia@reddit
July 12th in Glasgow
Impressive-Chart-483@reddit
Bonfire? Nov 5th. Even then most people don't have them at home anymore, due to, well having a raging fire next to their house…
Barbeque? Whenever it's sunny enough, or if it's a bank holiday regardless of weather.
Fire pit? When it's cold.
Burning waste? Only if it's small and contained, confined to a small amount of garden waste or paper, clean burning (so dry) to minimise smoke, and be very very occasional. Preferably far away from, and with anyone possibly affected forewarned. Generally though there are better methods of waste disposal.
Active_Definition_57@reddit
I remember my Dad doing some bonfires at the end of our garden in the '70s but not after that. One time we had jacket potatoes that were wrapped in foil and baked in the bonfire.
Dry_Action1734@reddit
My asshole neighbour (landlords brother, so lived there rent free) where I used to live did it all the time in a tiny back garden next to a major roundabout. Obviously drivers called the fire brigade every time either because the smoke was obstructing the view of the road or because people genuinely thought a house was on fire, but nothing ever happened about him doing it. He just kept going.
Tacklestiffener@reddit
My FIL had a garden backing on to fields but was very good with bonfires. He would wait until the barometer said the air pressure was high, and the wind was light, so the smoke would go straight upwards, away from the neighbours.
NOTE: I might have that the wrong way round and it might be low air pressure. Don't blame me, I can't even spell meteorology.
TimeNew2108@reddit
My neighbor's are a nightmare with 10 abusive kids who shout destroy things and throw rubbish over the fence so I don't give a shit and have a fire whenever I want. It's usually their shit I'm burning
-info-sec-@reddit
Ah man, what a nightmare.
At lunch, I thought I'd just throw a bottomless burning bin around a old tree stump that were trying to get out/kill off.
Checked the windows, checked the neighbours, then lit the thing. Blew smoke next door until it got up to temp, by that point it was too late.
If my neighbour is reading this, I'm sorry..!
For me, I'd probably avoid it in the future...
Nicktrains22@reddit
I had a bonfire when I burnt all my A level notes after getting my results. Very cathartic
Poo_Poo_La_Foo@reddit
If you live in the forest with no neighbours, whenever you want. If you live in a terrace in Watford with a postage stamp garden...never?
5th November go to a locally organised one.
Swimming_Possible_68@reddit
AHH yes ... Fire in the middle of a woodland.... What could possibly go wrong! 🤣
Poo_Poo_La_Foo@reddit
I grew up in woodland and we had a fire going, in a natural clearing, a lot of the time 🤷🏼♀️ you learn how to manage fire when you're a countryside person.
Throwaway187493@reddit
I'm sorry but you don't need to be a "countryside" person to manage a fire.
Poo_Poo_La_Foo@reddit
Agreed. I didn't say it was an exclusive situation. But if you grow up doing outside-y things it is just part of your skillset.
Swimming_Possible_68@reddit
Indeed you do, if you grew up doing it.... (I grew up in a village and was a scout).
But a newbie to the countryside may well be the same kind of idiot who uses a disposable BBQ in the countryside and doesn't understand the risks.
Postik123@reddit
I think generally they anti-social, but when I've had stuff I've needed to burn I've done it on a cold, rainy day using an incinerator. It seems to control the smoke better, burns everything a lot faster and isn't affected too much by the rain. During these conditions nobody has their washing out or their windows open.
letsgetmarriedlol@reddit
I think I might live quite a lot more rurally than a lot of the commenters here because I was going to say whenever your outdoor waste has built up too much
skilledbiscuit1@reddit
According to our local council you can have a bonfire whenever you like as long as you are not obscuring traffic with smoke or preventing anyone from enjoying their garden.
VincentVan_Dough@reddit
Never. In my borough, we can be fined £5,000 if the bonfire and smoke is prejudicial to health or deemed a regular nuisance to the neighbourhood. £50,000 if you burn any hazardous waste, plastics, rubber, aerosol cans, or treated wood. The only burning happening in our neighbourhood is summer BBQs and no one complains about that.
bouncypete@reddit
You have a bonfire and that big pile of combustible matter disappears, leaving behind a tiny pile of ashes.
Where to you thing ask that stuff has gone?
The simple answer is you've turned it into tiny particles and spread all over the downwind area of your town.
EvilRobotSteve@reddit
Depends how much space you have. If you have a large garden, it's much less of an issue, but in small residential areas, it's never really "socially acceptable" nobody in the neighbourhood will like you for it.
Even on the 5th of November, bonfires at proper sites are preferred unless you're lucky enough to have lots of land.
evenstevens280@reddit
If you live in close proximity to other people - never.
cleb9200@reddit
I grew up in the sticks where it was absolutely normal for people to have regular bonfires as houses were spread out and didn’t back onto each other. You simply cannot apply that to a town house or terraced back garden, the outcomes are completely different.
So the answer is really “depends where you live”
BrillsonHawk@reddit
You can have a bonfire when you want, but if you decide to have one during the summer in some of the few months where we can dry clothes outside and where we need windows open to survive I hope you burn in the seven circles of hell for all eternity
sparklybeast@reddit
Same for BBQs, yeah?
azzthom@reddit
Garden bonfires were common in the seventies, but died out in the eighties. Now, bonfires are only for 5th November, at organised events, and they're pretty rare nowadays, even then.
Plus-Dare-2746@reddit
In Northern Ireland, the time to have a bonfire is the night of 11 July.
RacistCarrot@reddit
I did one at 9pm on a cold autumn evening. Thought I’d get away with it but was quickly informed that apparently one of the neighbours dogs is asthmatic.
Couldn’t argue with that
MerryJoRound@reddit
A lot of people are saying 5th November but I’ll add that with the closest Friday evening or Saturday to the 5th - just because of work commitments. And if you have neighbours overlooking you be considerate of what time you finish and how much noise you make.
Devilsbane73@reddit
When the sun is setting and people should of already brought their washing in or be in their own garden having their own bonfire
Past_Grass_@reddit
Not when it's an ongoing heatwave, it's safer and less annoying to do it in colder months(less chance of it spreading and people dont mind shutting windows/ won't be playing outside
AceStrawberryWolf@reddit
If you live near a beach whenever you want, love having beach bonfires
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
You have to be patient, it takes time. Every day you have to go to your front window first thing to check. Most day's you'll be disappointed but - if you keep with it, I promise - I swear to you on my life - one day you'll see Satan wrapped up in a scarf and his little bobble hat and thick coat, ice-skating his way to work.
On that day, it's acceptable to have a bonfire right in the middle of summer when every fucker around's got their windows open.
That's when.
Brian_from_accounts@reddit
Mine will be tonight if it’s raining
BlueHoopedMoose@reddit
Chuck a potato wrapped in foil in there next time, then just call it a BBQ.
Brian_from_accounts@reddit
When it’s raining
bisikletci@reddit
Never.
Gold-Perspective5340@reddit
Check you local by-laws on your local council website
rustynoodle3891@reddit
Makes little difference when no action is taken.
jilljd38@reddit
Generally just burning wood a couple of times a year when it's nice and dry at night have smores and then just a fire bag in to make it look pretty
Amonette2012@reddit
I think it depends on weather a lot. I live on the inner ring of a Place, i.e. the gardens are all in the middle. I have a firepit and have small fires a few times in the summer, but I avoid days when the smoke will not quickly blow away, or humid still days. If I go into my house and I can smell it more than just a light scent, I douse it. I also avoid hotter days and tend to do it on days when people aren't going to have all their windows wide open. No one has ever complained. To be fair though, I have very chill neighbours, they're not complainers!!
AffectionateJump7896@reddit
Doing it in a built up area, and burning your crap that gives off toxic fumes is never socially acceptable.
Take you old dressing table to the tip like a normal person, or have the council collect it. Don't burn it in the garden of a new build estate.
Personal bonfires are only acceptable if you have 'land' rather than a garden.
fernofry@reddit
Unless you live on big plot of land with no other houses or woodland nearby, you shouldn't be burning shit in your garden full stop. Its actually against the law under Environmental Protection Act 1990 to burn household waste or cause excessive smoke that affects your neighbours.
Designer-Lobster-757@reddit
Cannae beat a burning day 🔥
dinkidoo7693@reddit
I was told that after 7pm and to warn neighbours about it beforehand too
TheSmallestPlap@reddit
5th of November
math577@reddit
5th of November at a designated location or when you're out camping in the woods.
KelpFox05@reddit
If you're burning rubbish, never.
If you're only burning wood for a social occasion, then it's really no different to a barbecue or similar. So whenever you want.
awkwardandroid@reddit
Yeah only really November 5th. When I was a kid we sometimes burned stuff in those old metal dustbins
KingGeedo91@reddit
If you live in a city then never pretty much. Only in a house with a big garden and neighbours far enough away to not be an issue
thorn312@reddit
It's not so common in our own gardens nowadays as I remember it being when I was younger. My neighbour does them somewhat regularly but she let's me know in advance, so I'd try to make people aware ahead of time if you're dead set on it. If you're in an area where all the gardens are backing on to another garden on all sides though I'd probably just avoid it altogether.
hovis_mavis@reddit
If you're in a built up area then probably not at all. If it's a garden on a fairly spacious housing estate then small fires when there's no wind.
Oxygene13@reddit
Small rant but my neighbours, who I get on great with, are retired and home all day every day of the week. They work in their garden a lot, and somehow only do bonfires around dinner time on the weekend, instead of any day during the day during the week lol.
sconebore@reddit
I don't think it is acceptable any more. It inconveniences everyone except the person with the fire. Take your rubbish to the tip!
3knuckles@reddit
You don't need a bonfire. You can, and should dispose of the material a different way.
Desperate-Voice-9168@reddit
When the beer comes out to play the fire can come out that day.
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