Burnham to consider disposable BBQ ban amid heatwave and wildfire risk

Nina Lloyd, George Thompson, David Lynch and Ted Hennessey, Press Association

Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the UK.

The Prime Minister will chair an emergency Cobra committee later on Wednesday in response to a prolonged spell of exceptionally hot and dry weather.

On a visit to Stevenage earlier, he said single-use grills could be banned to help prevent fires.

“There is obviously a significant problem of wildfires in the south. The New Forest fire is a great concern; we have seen them in northern areas as well as Suffolk recently.”

He added: “This is a message for the public as well, because the wildfires I mentioned, many of them have been created by disposable barbecues.”

Mr Burnham continued: “I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear. People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.

“I don’t know yet what the remedy is, but I do want to leave the meeting today with a loud and clear message that we do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires.”

Parts of the UK could be set to bake in 38C temperatures later this week as a firefighters’ union chief warned the country faces a “national emergency” over wildfires.

Some areas face a fifth heatwave of the summer, as the Met Office revealed the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record.

Rare amber “extreme heat” warnings have been issued by the forecaster for London and parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands and South Yorkshire from 9am to midnight on Thursday.

Most major UK supermarkets suspended sales of disposable barbecues in recent weeks, which is understood to have been in line with voluntary guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, also wrote to retail giants last week asking them to stop selling single-use grills for the rest of the summer.

Speaking to the Press Association last week, he said he expected the Government to act before next summer and would continue campaigning for a ban.

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