Burnham considers disposable BBQ ban over wildfire risks

A disposable barbecue pictured in a park — Image caption,

Some retailers have withdrawn single-use grills from sale

ByPaul SeddonPolitical reporter

Andy Burnham has said the government is considering a ban on disposable barbecues amid increased wildfire risk driven by this summer’s droughts.

The prime minister told reporters single-use grills had been behind a number of recent blazes and people should not be using them “at this moment in time”.

Some retailers have already decided to voluntarily stop selling the devices, which have previously attracted warnings from fire chiefs.

A potential ban is being discussed at an emergency Cobra meeting on the government’s response to record temperatures chaired by Burnham.

Nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales have been officially declared in drought, creating conditions rife for fire to spread.

The Met Office has issued a rare amber extreme heat warning for Thursday, with temperatures peaking in the mid-to-high 30s across the Midlands and south-east of England, and a high of 38C possible.

Speaking during a visit to Stevenage, Burnham said a disposable barbecue ban was something the government was “certainly going to consider”.

He said he understood why people might want to use the grills outside, but added: “We need to, in my view, have a situation where almost we just have a temporary ban on those things. We’re going to look at that issue today.

“I don’t know whether we can persuade retailers to do that, but I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear that people should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.

“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.”

Burnham did not specify whether the government was considering a restriction on the sale of disposable BBQs, or limitations on their use.

A Labour MP wrote to large retailers last week in a bid to stop them selling disposable barbecues for the rest of the summer, whilst a number of Lib Dem MPs have also backed restrictions.

The National Farmers Union has also called on local councils to issue public space protection orders to restrict their use in public areas.

Authorities including Brighton & Hove and Fylde, in Lancashire, are among councils to have used these orders to ban single-use grills in recent years.

Those who defy such orders can currently be fined up to £100, a limit that is set to rise to £500 in future.

Councils intending to issue the orders are required to consult residents beforehand, and gather evidence of an ongoing risk to quality of life in a particular area.

The Cobra meeting will be attended by ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Home Office, and Department for Health, as well as the Environment Agency.

A No 10 spokesperson said the government understood firefighters, farmers and NHS staff were all facing challenges connected to the weather.

There has already been one Cobra meeting on heatwaves this year chaired by officials, but this will be the first such emergency session chaired by Burnham.

In June, the government under previous prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that specialist firefighters would be positioned in key locations across England in response to wildfire risks, with forces encouraged to use a government fund to upgrade equipment.

Burnham had faced calls from the Green Party to chair a Cobra meeting on the heatwaves, with leader Zack Polanksi accusing the prime minister of inaction amid threats to public health and food supplies.

Speaking on Wednesday, Polanski welcomed the meeting but said it was “not enough just to discuss” the threats from heat.

He added that recent temperatures showed the need to offer workers flexible hours to allow them to avoid the hottest part of the day, and for a legally-enforced maximum temperature for workplaces.

The party has previously called for more publicly accessible “cool spaces” for vulnerable groups and financial support to help households heatproof their homes.

Fire chiefs have said that wildfires are becoming a “recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities” amid a changing climate.

Crews responded to 393 wildfires across England and Wales in July, making it the busiest month on record.