The government has issued a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbeques, as they pose a ‘significant risk to the public’.
It comes amid a fifth round of heatwave conditions for the UK, with temperatures exceeding 38°C yesterday, marking the hottest day of the year thus far.
The single-use grills ‘have been the cause of a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months’, advice published online by the government said.
Therefore, ‘all retailers, big and small’ have been instructed to halt sales following an emergency Cobra committee meeting.
Advice added: ‘Disposable barbecues cannot be considered a safe product in the context of the ongoing weather and environmental conditions and must not be made available for sale 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‘These guidelines will be kept under review and will be withdrawn in consultation with relevant departments and agencies, as weather conditions change sufficiently to significantly reduce the risks.’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham had suggested earlier in the week that such a measure could be introduced.
The Labour leader has further urged the public to take ‘the greatest of care’ and ‘don’t light anything in an outdoor space right now’.
People should ‘dispose of cigarettes carefully’, warning that ‘you are taking risks with other people’s lives if you act recklessly’.
Last night, hundreds of firefighters tackled wildfires in the West Midlands, forcing people to flee their homes. Several were hospitalised, including emergency responders.
Stoke-on-Trent has also been ‘devastated’ by blazes that broke out at around 5pm yesterday, causing some people to ‘lose everything’, including their homes.
Burnham said he has ‘never seen anything like it’, recalling meeting with families whose properties were completely gutted by fire.
‘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.’
Speaking from Stourbridge, he added that the government will commission firefighting planes to combat the spread of wildfires, as, while ‘a system of mutual aid is in play at the moment’ between fire and rescue services, there are ‘so many incidents’ requiring support.
‘But that obviously wasn’t available here, but it will be available elsewhere, and it would have made a difference.’
A further ’emergency financial support’ package is being drawn up for fire services battling the summer wildfires.
Already this year, England and Wales have experienced as many wildfires as the whole of 2025.
Referring to Britain as a ‘tinderbox’ right now, Burnham admitted that the country has to ‘face up’ to the ‘changing climate’ and must transition to ‘more clean energy’.
As it stands, almost three-quarters of England and all of Wales have been officially declared in drought, which has enabled conditions for fire to spread.
The PM has been implored by MPs to confront the ‘desperately worrying’ strain on the UK’s water resources and agree to speed up the rate at which new reservoirs are built.
Meanwhile, health alerts have been extended to the weekend for much of England, as high temperatures put vulnerable groups at greater risk.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) extended the current amber heat health alert for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, London, and East of England until 10am on Saturday.
All other regions in England remain under an amber alert until 9pm on Friday.
This week, temperatures provisionally reached 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in London, the second time this year the country has seen temperatures hit 38°C.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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