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In Circular 63/70 from the Minister of Housing and Local Government,
local authorities were invited to submit Suspension Orders to the Minister for his
consideration. Orders of this type, if confirmed, permitted the sale and delivery
of coal within operative smoke control areas.
By the beginning of November, the Council had received confirmation
from the Minister for the suspension of thirteen specified Smoke Control Orders.
This, in effect, meant that some 25,000 premises in 1,280 acres were released
from smoke control and some 40% of all controlled premises allowed to burn
bituminous coal between the period 7th November, 1970 and 31st March, 1971.
The oncoming winter of 1970/71 turned out to be comparatively mild,
and therefore, a regional fuel crisis was fortunately averted.
Fuel Oil and Sulphur-dioxide
Local air pollution by sulphur-dioxide resulting from the burning of fuel
oils with high sulphur content, has for many years been of some concern. Industry
and commerce have at all times been persuaded — without any legal backing —
to fire new furnaces with a low sulphur content oil. In practice, this means the
burning of oil of 35 seconds viscosity. This is a gas oil with a sulphur content
not greater than 1% by weight of the fuel.
At their meeting in April, the Health Committee recommended that all
Council establishments, as a Public Health measure, should use 35 seconds oil
in their boiler furnaces and final approval of this far-reaching policy decision was
endorsed later. It is indeed an exemplary and progressive decision which will,
in time, improve the air quality not only of the local environment, but also that
of Inner London.
Additional legislation in the form of the 1968 Clean Air Act increased
the umbrella of air pollution control in the specific areas of:—
(a) Chimney height of new furnaces
(b) Emissions of grit, dust and fumes from furnaces
and (c) Dark smoke from open-air incineration on industrial and trade premises.
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