Smoky coal ban for Cork towns ahead of wider blitz

Ban on the sale, marketing, distribution and burning of smoky coal is being extended to include towns such as Mallow, Midleton and Cobh in Cork.

Minister for the Environment, Eamon Ryan, has expanded the number of areas subject to a smoky coal ban. Photograph: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

A number of regional towns in Cork will be included in the so-called “smoky coal ban” from September 1, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has confirmed — with a full ban nationwide during the lifetime of the current Government.

Minister Ryan said the ban on the sale, marketing, distribution and burning of bituminous coal, or the smoky coal ban as it is commonly known, is being extended to include towns such as Mallow, Midleton and Cobh in Cork.