Brickbat: This Burns Me Up

Around 1.5 million English households use wood-burning heaters, stoves and fireplaces, and many of those homeowners could face fines and criminal charges under new rules adopted by the government. The government has reduced the amount of particulate matter wood-burning stoves and heaters are allowed to emit and given local governments the power to issue spot fines of up to £300 ($360 U.S.) to those whose chimneys emit too much. The new rules also allow local governments to pursue criminal charges against repeat offenders or those who do not pay their fines.