Government bans disposable barbecues as a result of ‘vital danger to the general public’ throughout heatwave
The Government has issued a temporary ban on the sale of the cooking devices as they pose a ‘significant risk to the public’ due to the extreme weather and heatwave conditions
Disposable barbecues have been temporarily banned(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Disposable barbecues have been banned to help prevent fires as Andy Burnham warned Britain is a “tinderbox”.
The Government issued a temporary ban on the sale of the cooking devices as they pose a “significant risk to the public” due to the heatwave conditions.
It came as the PM unveiled a string of measures to combat the extreme weather, including the use of firefighting planes, and emergency financial support for fire services battling the spread of wildfires.
This week Mr Burnham chaired an emergency Cobra committee in response to a prolonged spell of exceptionally hot and dry weather.
The new advice published on the Government’s website states: “During the current drought and heatwave conditions, the government considers that the supply and subsequent foreseeable use of disposable barbecues poses a significant risk to the public, and the environment, and therefore cannot be considered a safe product.
“They should not be made available for supply either in store or online at the current time.
“These guidelines will be kept under review, and will be withdrawn in consultation with relevant departments and agencies, as weather conditions change sufficiently to significantly reduce the risks.”
It comes as the PM urged the public to take “the greatest of care” and “don’t light anything in an outdoor space right now”.
Mr Burnham said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, I dealt with wildfires in Greater Manchester, but nothing on this scale. I’ve never seen scenes like this in Britain, where you just see a whole house gutted, smouldering.
“And I met one of the families whose house had gone up in that in that way, so you can imagine how distressing that is for for them, and you feel for them and their kids, and not to go elsewhere.
“You know, it’s just unbelievably devastating for people in this in this position. So that’s why I’m here. I just wanted to show that, you know, we’re on the ground.
“We understand how difficult this is for everybody, and we will put in place the support to help people get back to where they should be as soon as possible.”
Asked about how the fires had started and how culpable any individuals were, he said: “So at this stage, the chief fire officer has just said to us that there’s no clear cause that can be identified at this moment in time.
“They can, I believe, identify a location where it began, which was in one of the surrounding fields. But at this stage, not a cause, and I don’t think it’s right for me to come and jump to any any conclusion there. But I just reiterate the message to the public that I gave a moment ago. Please, everybody, take the greatest of care. In fact, don’t light anything in an outdoor space right now.”
Britain has been battered by heatwaves in recent months, facing its fifth of the year in what the Met Office say is the hottest summer on record.
