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MPs call for disposable barbecues to be banned ahead of summer
The government has launched a review into the link the product has with wildfires
There have been calls for a full ban on the sale of disposable barbecues as the ‘careless and reckless’ use of them continues to cause wildfires.
While enjoying a barbecue in the park is a staple part of British summer time, people could soon face a ban from purchasing disposable barbecues as a result of a new government review looking into their impact on wildfires.
Addressing the review at a House of Commons debate last week, environment minister Victoria Prentis said data from the Home Office suggested that around 4% of accidental fires can be linked to barbecue use, though this does not differentiate between the use of a barbecue in a home or at a place like a public park.
She said a ban on disposable barbecues ‘would have an instant and transformative effect in protecting our moorland and would help to safeguard them and our communities in the years ahead.’
The debate from MPs comes after concerns were shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council over the number of fires caused by disposable barbecues, both in outdoor spaces and in the home when used on balconies or too close to garden fences and trees.
The number of fires caused by these barbecues was so bad, in fact, that last summer, retailer Co-op withdrew the products from their shelves in stores located near national parks.
130 of their stores within a one mile radius withdrew the barbecues to support local bans enforced by national parks and landowners.
Namiras1 / Wikimedia Commons
Co-op made the decision in response to a campaign led by former worker Hannah Mitchell, from Penrith, following a spike of litter and anti-social behaviour in the Lake District last summer.
Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service were also forced to issue a number of warnings about the use of disposable barbecues last year, with them facing several wildfires as a result of the product.
In June 2021, crews were called to reports of a grass fire near Carrbrook in Stalybridge. They later shared a photograph to demonstrate the extent of the blaze and to issue a warning to those thinking of having a barbecue out on the moors.
They wrote: “Our crews have spent the last three hours dealing with a 2500 square metre grass fire near Carrbrook, Stalybridge. If you’re out today act responsibly and never have a barbecue or start a campfire on the moors.”