People in Suffolk are being urged not to use disposable barbecues this Bank Holiday
The Government banned their sale earlier this month.
Businesses across Suffolk have been removing disposable barbecues from sale after new government guidelines were introduced because of the risk of wildfires.
The government issued statutory guidelines on 14 August which state disposable barbecues must not currently be made available for sale either in shops or online in Great Britain.
It said the decision had been taken in response to drought and heatwave conditions, with the government considering the supply and foreseeable use of disposable barbecues to pose a "significant risk" to the public and environment.
Suffolk Trading Standards has been raising awareness of the restrictions and is asking people to report businesses they believe are continuing to sell the products.
Lee Nunn, Senior Trading Standards Officer at Suffolk County Council, said the response from businesses had so far been positive.
He said: "We've found that businesses have already taken steps to stop selling disposable barbecues."
Mr Nunn said that if Trading Standards receives information suggesting a business is continuing to sell them, officers would initially engage with the retailer, explain the requirements and seek to ensure the products are removed from sale.
Why have disposable barbecues been taken off sale?
The government's Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) said disposable barbecues had been responsible for a number of serious wildfires around the country this summer.
Under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, businesses must ensure consumer products they supply are safe.
The government's position is that, in the current extreme heat and drought conditions, the reasonably foreseeable use of disposable barbecues presents an unacceptable risk to public safety.
As a result, the statutory guidelines state they cannot currently be considered safe products and must not be supplied in stores or online.
The rules apply to producers, distributors and retailers in Great Britain, including online sales.
Trading Standards and the OPSS have enforcement powers under product safety legislation. Government guidance says action in cases of non-compliance could include suspending supply, withdrawing products from sale or requiring recalls.
It adds that breaches of certain obligations could, where prosecution is considered appropriate and proportionate, ultimately result in financial penalties or imprisonment following conviction.
Mr Nunn said Suffolk Trading Standards' focus was on engagement and education.
He said: "Most businesses and people indeed know what the right thing is to do."
He added that where officers were alerted to disposable barbecues being sold, engagement and advice would be used to ensure they were removed from sale.
'Everyone has a role to play'
The intervention follows heightened concern about outdoor fires in Suffolk during periods of hot and dry weather.
Earlier this summer, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service backed a campaign urging people to avoid lighting barbecues and campfires near grass, heathland and woodland and to use them only in designated safe areas.
Suffolk County Council said in June that its fire service had attended 310 fires in the open between January and mid-November last year – 105 more than during the equivalent period the previous year.
Mr Nunn said the recent fires demonstrated why preventing further incidents was important.
He said: "We'd encourage the public and indeed businesses to please think very carefully before selling or using products that could create a fire risk, particularly during dry conditions.
"Everyone has a role to play in protecting Suffolk's countryside, parks and open spaces.
"As the recent devastating wildfires in Suffolk have shown, prevention is always better than dealing with the consequences of a fire."
How long will the restrictions last?
The government has not set an end date for the restrictions.
Its guidance says the measures will be kept under review and withdrawn, following consultation with relevant departments and agencies, when weather conditions have changed sufficiently to significantly reduce the risk.
Mr Nunn said he could not say how long the restrictions were likely to remain in place.
Suffolk Trading Standards is encouraging people who believe a business is continuing to sell disposable barbecues to report it through the Citizens Advice consumer service.
Read the government's statutory guidance on disposable barbecues here.