Written evidence submitted by Mr Gary Quinn (AQU0027)

My family were badly effected by poor air quality in our neighbourhood.
We are all non-smokers.

1. The industry at Redcar and the surrounding area – ex-British Steel, former-ICI works, etc.
I've lost the reference, but I believe these companies are polluting beyond the European legal limits, but were given Government permission to carry on doing so.

2. Local allotment holders have frequent bonfires.  They have a local agreement NOT to have a fire when the wind is blowing towards our estate – but they ignore it.  There are lots of allotments, so we have smoke across the estate two or three times a week from them.
Redcar and Cleveland council told me they have lots of complaints about this.  Clearly though, they're doing nothing about it because it still happens.

3. Wood burning stoves in neighbour's houses.  This is the worst because their smoke and fumes enter my house.  R&C council told me they wouldn't know what to do if they were to witness it.
My wife has cried herself to sleep at times when fumes have been in the bedroom on an evening.
The estate was built circa 2002, and all houses have central heating.  Houses on the estate have wood burners purely as “recreational” heating.

At least two children on the estate have had HSP.  A suspected cause is air pollution.
I contracted Glaucoma a few years after the wood burners started polluting my house.  A suspected cause is smoke.
Several people on the estate have asthma, so are effected by poor air quality.

Allotment holders and stove owners must face an immediate ban.