UK bans disposable barbecues as heatwave fuels wildfire fears

The UK government has temporarily banned the sale of disposable BBQs due to the high risk of wildfires amid fears of an increasing hazard to the public as heatwave conditions continue to grip the country.

Initially, a proposed ban was first considered at an emergency Cobra meeting in response to record temperatures this week. Given the severity of the situation, members of the public have also been urged not to light an open fire of any kind to dispose of cigarettes carefully.

According to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the country is like a “tinderbox” as fire crews in the West Midlands continue to tackle several blazes. The ban is currently applied to England, Scotland and Wales.

The report issued by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade underlined that disposable barbecues cannot be considered safe given the wake of the current conditions and that they must not be made for sale in stores or online at the current stores in Great Britain.

The statement from Burnham reads: “Britain is a tinderbox right now. Setting a fire in any outdoor setting of any kind is a risk to other people’s homes, don’t do it, please don’t do it.”

Meanwhile, large retailers and supermarkets had preemptively discontinued the devices under a new framework deal in 2023 between fire chiefs and the British Rail Consortium.

Burnham further asserted that he plans to deploy water bombers similar to those used in Europe and the US to combat the spread of wildfires, along with the plans designed for emergency financial support to help fire services curb the spread of wildfires.

Residents fled their homes as fires spread through dry grass when the UK experienced its hottest day of the year on Thursday.