A crackdown on wood burning stoves is at the centre of a Government drive to reduce air pollution as ministers deem it the UK’s biggest environmental threat to human health.

Under a new clean air strategy to be announced on Tuesday, wood burners that pump out too much smoke will be banned from sale, along with certain types of car tyres and brakes, cleaning solvents, fertilisers and solid fuels.

Writing for the Telegraph, Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, and Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, promise that Britain will set a “gold standard” in air quality after Brexit by going “further and faster” than proposed EU changes to regulations.

They say air pollution is the fourth-biggest threat to health after cancer, heart disease and obesity, and publish a clean-air strategy that builds on work to cut pollution from diesel and petrol-driven vehicles.

Mr Gove and Mr Hunt say: “With the world getting wealthier, and technology getting cleaner, it is unacceptable that poor air quality is cutting lives short, damaging children’s health and poisoning our natural environment.

“Our departure from the EU marks a new chapter for the UK, in which we set gold standards based on scientific excellence. This clean air strategy will ensure that the actions we take today will secure our health for tomorrow.”