Retailers of solid fuels in Galway City are being chosen at random for inspections to ensure they are not selling smoky coal.

Community Wardens in Galway City Council have been instructed to carry out routine inspections on solid fuel retailers between October and March.

It’s understood at least five inspections are being carried out every month. These include service stations, supermarkets, corner shops and hardware stores that sell wood and coal for burning.

In addition to inspections, the Environment Section at City Hall has compiled a list of all solid fuel retailers and has written to them, reminding them of their obligations under solid fuel regulations.

In 2012, Galway City and parts of the county, including Barna and Carrowbrowne, were designated as ‘smoke-free zones’ under the Air Pollution Act.

This legislation banned the burning, sale, marketing, or distribution of bituminous coal in that zone.

It was only permissible to burn sell or distribute smokeless coal within the city boundary.

Wardens can issue on-the-spot fines for breaches of the Act and the local authority can take prosecutions through the courts.

The Council confirmed to Galway City Tribune that its Environment Department had taken five samples of coal from local retailers for testing.

These samples have been sent to Arigna Fuels to be tested for various parameters, including sulphur content, to ensure they are in accordance with Air Pollution Act levels.

The Council spokesperson said the results had not yet been returned. The five monthly inspections were separate to the sampling and testing of the solid fuels that are carried out at Arigna Fuels, she said.

In her report to city councillors, Chief Executive Patricia Philbin said the City Council’s Environment Section had launched a ‘clear the air in three easy steps’ on its social media.

This included two tweets that link to a government website with information about air quality. The public was also advised about its obligations to burn low-smoke fuel, Ms Philbin said.