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Households in England are being warned they could face fines of up to £300 if they use their chimney over the winter depending on where they live and their local council's rules.

While every house built before the 1990s probably has a chimney on the roof, most of us won't have used it for decades or possibly ever, and the fireplace itself may well be blocked up and inaccessible.

But millions of people across the country still use their fireplace to heat their home in the winter, with traditional fuels such as coal, or have a wood burner fitted into the chimney.

Unfortunately, if your chimney starts belching out smoke, there are areas of the UK where you can be reported to the local council and fined, because of a rule around Smoke Control Areas.

Smoke Control Areas have rules in place governing exactly how much smoke can be emitted from your chimney. Smoke Control Areas are boundaries, agreed by local councils, which restrict the use of chimneys within them.

This doesn't just limit the amount of smoke you can produce from a chimney, but is a blanket ban stopping you from emitting any smoke from your chimney at all. Many major cities in England fall under a Defra Smoke Control Area, including most of London, as well as most of Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Liverpool.

Section 19 of the Clean Air Act 1993 says you must pay £300 if too much smoke is being released from your chimney if you live in one of the areas covered by a Smoke Control Area.

As Direct Stoves explains: "The current limit on the amount of smoke your chimney can produce in a Smoke Control Area is 5g per hour, plus 0.5g for each kW of your stove's heat output.

"However, there are plans to reduce this limit to 3g per hour, although when this will happen is not yet confirmed.

"These rules mean that only some people with a wood-burning stove or open fire will pay a fine for using it. Most modern wood burners available are DEFRA-approved, so many stove owners do not need to worry.

"If you want to upgrade an older wood burner that emits a lot of smoke or are considering installing a wood burner in your home for the first time, get an appliance that DEFRA has approved for use in Smoke Control Areas. A wood burner with this seal of approval is designed and tested to operate within the restrictions."

Defra says in its guidance: "Open fires and wood-burning stoves have risen in popularity over recent years. Smoke from burning causes air pollution which harms the health of millions. We can work together to improve the quality of the air we breathe.

"Did you know that certain areas of the country are designated as 'smoke control areas'?

"A smoke control area is a legally defined area where you cannot emit smoke from a chimney. You can be issued a financial penalty of between £175 to £300 if you break this rule."

London (all of London, except West Ham)

Birmingham

Manchester

Sheffield

Leeds

Liverpool

Newcastle

Wakefield

Nottingham

Derby

Bristol

Bath

Stoke-on-Trent

Bradford

Preston

Leicester

Norwich

Peterborough

Hull

Doncaster

Wolverhampton

Worcester

Coventry

Milton Keynes

Reading

Portsmouth.