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Challenge 2025 campaigners are calling on the Government to ban the “harmful” tools and follow in the footsteps of the US, where several states have banned their use. The tools have also

come under increasing scrutiny across Europe, including in Germany where the ministry said they should not be used unless they are “indispensable”. Ambassador for Challenge 2025, Emma Gayler

claims leaf blowers emit “more harmful emissions than cars” and are “incredibly inefficient”. She added: “With a high usage of petrol per second, it requires more than half the fuel of a

Ford Fiesta to run for the same time. Fuel’s not the only consideration though. we should also look at the noise pollution, especially when used in public spaces. Petrol leaf blowers are

twice as loud as battery alternatives and can cause permanent hearing loss to users.” In the US leaf blowers are banned or illegal in the states of California, Colorado, Illinois,

Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Vermont. Ms Gayler said it would “make sense” for the UK Government to review the rules in the UK. She added: “In the same way that efforts

are being made to decarbonise the country’s vehicles and energy networks, the Government should be doing more to encourage alternatives to combustion engines in garden machinery.” Speaking

on petrol-powered equipment she said “in an ideal world” the majority of products would be banned but recognised this is not always possible. “Whilst battery technology has vastly improved

and in some cases now surpasses the performance of their petrol-powered counterparts, we recognise that this isn’t the case across all outdoor power equipment,” Ms Gayler continued. She

added that it's important to talk about banning products and look at the “worst offenders that already have a viable battery alternative”. They have also been criticised in the past for

sending dust and other particles into the air as well as allergens. A report by Challenge 2025, highlights a test in 2011 between a Ford v8 pickup truck and a standard 4-stroke leaf blower

which found that the leaf blower’s engine produced 6.8 times more nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide than the v8 truck’s engine and 13.5 times more carbon dioxide. It also found that 89

percent of UK council tools used in public spaces, parks, and school playing fields are petrol-powered, using an estimated 600,000 litres of fuel each year.