Sadiq Khan calls for wood burning stoves to be banned in London

Wood burning stoves are the target of Sadiq Khan's latest plans to crack down on air pollution in London.

Under new proposals the burning of wood and coal in people's homes could be banned outright in some parts of the capital.

Wood stoves have seen a huge upsurge in popularity over the past decade - with more than one million UK households already using them and 175,000 units sold a year.

But Mr Khan wants to set tighter emission limits, citing stoves' "detrimental effect" on health.

The Mayor has already written to environment secretary Michael Gove setting out the additional powers he requires.

It comes as Mr Khan more than doubles investment into tackling air quality to £875 million over the next five years.

Sadiq Khan is investing millions into tackling air pollution. Credit: PA

Since taking over as Mayor, Mr Khan has introduced plans for a £10 Toxicity-Charge, the world's first Ultra Low Emission Zone and the cleaning up of London's buses and taxis.

He now wants the Clean Air Act to be amended to allow greater restrictions on wood burning stoves.

These would complement existing plans to create transport zero emission zones from 2025, he said on Friday.

Under the proposals, local authorities would be given powers to inspect properties and issue penalty fines.

"“Non-transport sources contribute half of the deadly emissions in London so we need a hard-hitting plan of action to combat them similar to moves I am taking to reduce pollution from road vehicles," Mr Khan said.

“With more than 400 schools located in areas exceeding legal pollution levels, and such significant health impacts on our most vulnerable communities, we cannot wait any longer and I am calling on Government to provide the capital with the necessary powers to effectively tackle harmful emissions from a variety of sources."

Similar proposed powers could also be used to address emissions from larger and commercial premises.