London’s fire commissioner has joined calls for a total national ban on disposable barbecues after they were blamed for sparking bushfires in England during the recent wave of dry weather.
Barbecues pose a fire risk, especially when used on dry ground, and parts of England have seen their driest weather in 111 years.
Homes were lost to fires in east London earlier this month during a heatwave that saw temperatures reach 40.3C.
In Norfolk, nature reserves lost more than 100 acres (40 hectares) of habitat for rare ground-nesting birds and other animals after raging fires.
Disposable barbecues were cited as the cause of several of the fires, including a serious blaze at Lickey Hills Park near Birmingham. National Trust properties including Morden Hall Park, south London, were affected by large areas of scorched earth after fires from one-off barbecues, and the Torbay Cliffs in Devon were set on fire.
London Fire Brigade Commissioner Andy Rowe on Friday asked all local authorities in the capital to implement bans.
He said: “Despite our warnings about grass fires, we still see some people behaving carelessly and recklessly. Firefighters tackled a major blaze at Wanstead Flats on Saturday [east London] caused by using a disposable barbecue.
“We need urgent action now to see a national ban on the sale of single-use barbecues. They can be bought for as little as £5 and can cause untold damage, especially when the grass is as dry as it has been for the past few weeks.
“Last week is another example of how we are increasingly facing new extreme weather events as our climate changes, and we are developing long-term strategies to deal with more incidents like this in the future.”
Jake Fiennes, conservation manager at Holkham Nature Reserve in Norfolk, called for a ban on sales after finding disposable barbecues used in fragile sand dune habitats.
He said: “At what point does it make perfect sense to remove the sale of disposable barbecues. Three discovered today and undoubtedly many more still undiscovered.
“The government keeps telling us it doesn’t want to tell us what to do. Yet they banned smoking inside for our health, banned mobile phone use while driving for our safety. Why can’t they ban disposable barbecues to save the environment!”
Rebecca Pough, who was environment secretary until she resigned in protest at Boris Johnson’s behaviour, said she would accept a ban.
She said: “The recent devastating bushfires have shown what a risk portable barbecues can be if not used responsibly. With more extreme weather events predicted, I support all efforts to address the dangers that portable barbecues can pose…while not limiting people’s ability to get out into our green space with all the benefits it brings.”
The Labor Party is also calling for a complete ban on their sale. Holly Lynch, shadow security minister, said: “Given the damage that single-use barbecues cause, calls for a ban are getting louder and louder.
“The government needs to take this seriously and act on disposable barbecues now.”
Retailers including Waitrose and Aldi have announced they will no longer stock single-use barbecues due to their detrimental impact on the environment and wildlife. A petition on the UK government’s website has so far received more than 5,000 signatures.
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