Public are observing 'smoky coal' ban

Many Navan householders are extremely angry at the ban on smoky coal, the effects of which have become evident in recent weeks, as more and more people have been lighting fires.
However, Meath County Council and local coal merchants say that by and large the public are observing the ban which came into effect in May.
 While the effects of the ban weren’t immediately obvious during the summer, in recent weeks the impact of the ban has become more evident.
A spokesperson for Meath County Council said they have been enforcing the ban and carrying out inspections on retailers, coal merchants and coal lorries.
“The Council has compiled a list of retailers and carries out, within the resources available, inspections of their stocks of smokeless fuel.
“To date there have been no complaints received with regard to breaches of the ban,” she said.
 Navan coal merchant Pearse Newman of Commons Fuel said that some people are angry when he tells them he cannot sell them smoky coal.
“They threaten to go outside the town to buy their coal, but when you remind them that they can be fined for using it, they just accept it,” he said.