NEWS that a total ban on bonfires is one of the options being considered by Environmental Health is certain to fuel concerns over how much control over its people this States wants.

No fewer than 12 ‘statutory instruments’ went before the Assembly last month alone, including new regulations on exports, waste, drugs and housing.

Each new bit of law can no doubt find a backer who would argue its purpose but, as can be seen with the almost indecent haste with which proposals to outlaw cigarette vending machines were pushed through, this government is too happy to keep its army of legal draftsmen in business for many years to come.

Couple that with an efficient police force and a very British desire to see the law executed to its limit and the island is in danger of disappearing under a mass of red tape.

In the meantime, genuine concerns such as effective animal cruelty laws, first proposed a decade ago, sink to the bottom of the pile.

But what about bonfires? A primeval right since man first smashed flint against tinder and roasted a woolly mammoth, or an unnecessary blight on a clear day and sunny afternoon?

People’s views on that probably depend on what sort of neighbour they have.

For, regrettably, some householders show no common sense. And nobody appreciates thick black smoke pouring over the fence just as the first barbecue guests are arriving on the best day of the year.

Unfortunately, the problem is only made worse by the island’s waste problem. High charges at the tip are all the persuasion some people need to get out the petrol and matches.

And the cancellation of the States’ original solution – ironically, a huge bonfire with a filtered chimney – means that tip charges are only going to get higher.

Yet a total ban on bonfires will only divert more rubbish to the tip. The island will have to find a rapid solution to its waste before Mont Cuet becomes Mount Cuet.

Public Services’ proposals for a new waste system cannot come soon enough.