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.”
It comes as temperatures are forecast to reach 33C today and up to 38C tomorrow.
5 Comments
Zombie@feddit.uk · 12 pts · 8d
No, they've been created by capitalism. Or more accurately, the constant need to create increased profit via the mass burning of fossil fuels, animal agriculture, and a multitude of other sources.
The country is a tinderbox because of climate change, which is happening because of capitalism. But Burnham and Labour have no interest in doing anything to change that. Banning BBQs is performative and doesn't fix the root cause of the problem. Fires will continue with or without a BBQ ban.
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 7d
Excellently explained.
cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 6d
"banning barbecues is the only way to get to net zero" - andy burnham as he rolls by net zero targets and drills for oil in the north sea
okwithmydecay@leminal.space · 3 pts · 8d
Barbecues have been banned in most parks in and around east London for years. As of July 2026, they are now banned in all London parks.
tal@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 7d
It sounds like the main draw of these disposable grills is that they're cheap. I'm in California, which is far more fire-prone than the UK, and parks still typically have fixed grills, in areas that are set up to be fire-safe with sand around them. I'd think that putting fixed grills in might be a more effective way of discouraging disposable grills.
https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/barbecue-rules-every-london-borough-31537288
It sounds like at least some of the problem is that people object to noise and litter. If the problem is litter, that doesn't seem like it's specific to barbecuing, but to anyone going out to have a party with food at the park. I mean, I'd think that there are better ways to discourage littering than banning barbecues.