Learn about the UK’s 1956 Clean Air Act

The UK’s 1956 Clean Air Act was a groundbreaking piece of environmental legislation that marked an important shift in public attitudes to air pollution and its effects. The Act’s main aims were to reduce the emissions of air pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, and to improve public health by reducing the incidence of respiratory diseases. A major part of this effort centred on the promotion of smokeless or low-smoke fuels for domestic fires, offering households a much healthier and cleaner way to heat their homes.

At the time, burning fuel for domestic use was the major source of air pollution in the UK, accounting for about half of the total sulphur dioxide emissions in 1956. The burning of coal and other solid fuels in open fires without adequate chimneys produced a thick soupy smoke, commonly referred to as the “pea-souper”, that severely limited visibility and had detrimental effects on human health. In London, for example, the concentration of sulphur dioxide was increased by smoky domestic and industrial coal combustion by 200% above background levels. There was also a significant problem with smoke fading and soiling of fabrics, car paint and housing, as well as the formation of “smuts” which were a major cause of eye irritation.

The Clean Air Act took a number of approaches to reduce air pollution, including moves to fit larger chimneys and smokeless zones to limit the emission of noxious gases. However, the key focus was the use of smokeless and low-smoke fuels including smokeless coals which were centrally-distributed through road tanker transport or brought in from overseas suppliers. These fuels were known as manufactured fuels, such as the smokeless fuel coke, or “smokeless coal”, and included anthracite, semi-anthracite, plasma coal, coked coal, coke breeze and gasified, manufactured coke. The hope was that the switch to smokeless fuels would also reduce the consumption of coal, while providing an economic benefit to local suppliers.

It must be remembered that at the time, many homes relied on open fires with poor to non-existent chimneys; 87 percent of households in cities like London and Manchester were burning coal when the Act was passed. For these households, the introduction of smokeless coal and low-smoke fuels was a dramatic improvement. There were also incentives available to encourage the use of smokeless fuels such as smokeless coals and gas conversion grants along with the “Green Coal” initiative which provided discounts on fuel bills for households that made the switch.

The switch to smokeless coals and low-smoke fuels proved successful. By 1956, only 15 per cent of inner-London households were burning coal and the maximum number of people affected by smoke had been reduced from 450,000 to around 20,000. In the mid-1970s, the consumption of coal and other solid fuels had reduced by about two-thirds and the impact of smoke on visibility had been vastly reduced.

The Clean Air Act and the promotion of smokeless and low-smoke fuels is often overlooked when discussing air pollution and its effects. However, it addressed a major problem that had repercussions for decades and offered households a much healthier and more cost-effective way to heat and supply energy for their homes. This legislation not only helped to improve air quality, but also established the foundations for more stringent air quality regulations in the decades that followed.

The Clean Air Act 1956 first established smoke control areas in the UK, then the environment Act 2021 went further to prohibit the sale or use of fuels that emit substantial smoke from a chimney in a smoke control area. If you want to find out more about smoke control areas and if and how they effect you, then you can read our helpful article Smoke control areas: explained.