Environmental problems Smoke and fire

Exhaust smoke and idling vehicles

Well maintained modern vehicles should produce very little smoke, whereas excessively smoky vehicles cause air pollution and can be a health hazard. There is also usually no need to idle a vehicle engine unnecessarily.

You can:

  • Report an excessively smoky lorry or bus exhaust to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
  • Report a smoky taxi or private passenger vehicle, or idling vehicle (including buses and coaches), to us using the link below:

You will need:

  • make, model and colour of the vehicle;
  • vehicle registration number (and taxi licence number if applicable);
  • company name (if apparent);
  • location, date and time of the incident.

We will:

  • Investigate in partnership with other agencies, and take action against drivers who cause pollution. 

Further information on idling vehicles can be found here.

Was this page helpful?

Was this page helpful?

Fields marked * cannot be left blank

Feedback submitted to us on this form is monitored but you won’t receive a reply. In an emergency, visit our emergency contact details page. Please don't include any personal or financial information, for example your National Insurance or credit card numbers.