Davitt Road South in Wexford town. Pic: Jim Campbell

A TAX on smoky coal has been called for by a concerned Wexford resident who recently posted his opinion on social media, after returning from an evening walk, that ‘Wexford town stinks!’

PJ Martin described his view that ‘the stench of smog is unreal, with the lack of wind to blow it away.’

Householders, he commented, were being lured by attractive prices into bringing smoky coal from the countryside into Wexford town, which was designated a ‘smokeless coal zone’ in 1998.

The ban was introduced with the intention of delivering cleaner air to the town and its environs.

Smokeless coal burns cleanly with little soot and generates less ash than its smoky counterpart.

According to Mr. Martin, however, ‘we have a situation where dirty coal is way cheaper than the more carbon-friendly alternative.’

The Wexford man’s concerns regarding an upward trend in the number of households burning smoky coal were echoed by local Independent Cllr. Davy Hynes, who said he had particularly noticed the problem around the areas of Davitt Road and Talbot Green.

The public representative questioned whether there could be a connection between smoky coal being burnt in the town and a prevalence of chest infections and other such related conditions in the area this Winter.

Read more in the Wexford Echo.