Scarborough and Whitby MP welcomes temporary ban on disposable BBQs
It is to help prevent wildfires
Alison Hume MP has welcomed the temporary ban on disposable barbecues and thanked the Prime Minister for taking action on the issue.
Ms Hume called on the government to ban the lighting of fires in public places, including disposable barbecues, after a preventable blaze broke out in Wykeham Forest, raising fears the North York Moors could once again face the devastation seen last summer.
Ms Hume said; “The tinderbox and drought conditions seen across the country means that one spark from a campfire, barbecue or cigarette could lead to devastation, damage and death.
“The horrible scenes we are seeing in Stourbridge really bring home how dangerous the current situation is, and the debt we owe our fire and rescue services and the “farmy army” who bravely support them.
“Relying on the voluntary code to persuade retailers to remove disposable barbecues from their shelves was not going to be enough in the current situation of extreme wildfire risk.
“I am incredibly relieved that the temporary ban means that disposable barbecues will be taken off the shelves and from online platforms with immediate effect. The Prime Minister has acted decisively and on behalf on my constituents in Scarborough, Whitby and the villages – thank you!
“Disposable barbecues have been the cause of a number of serious wildfires across the country, but they are not the only cause. I would urge people not to light a campfire anywhere near grass or vegetation, and if they smoke, to think very carefully what they do with the butt.
The ban comes one year after a major incident was declared near Whitby, which threatened lives, businesses and a critical piece of national security infrastructure.
The fire on Fylingdales Moor spread to an area covering 20 square kilometres and nearly reached RAF Fylingdales – which provides a continuous ballistic missile early warning service to both the UK and US governments.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham said: “The temporary ban on barbecues, disposable barbecues comes in today. All retailers will be receiving notification of that ban, and we ask them to obviously implement it in full until further notice when we can remove it. And then I would also want to say to the public, you can see what's happening. 37 significant fires across England and Wales. Please do not light an open fire, a bonfire of any kind. If you're disposing of a cigarette, take great care. This is obviously a really combustible situation, literally. And we need to respect that fact and make sure that no one is taking any risk because you're taking risk with other people's homes, with other people's lives if you act recklessly in this moment.”