Disposable barbecues would be banned on beaches, moors and beauty spots under a new law proposed by a Tory MP.
The scorching weather this summer saw a spate of wildfires that led supermarkets including Morrisons, Waitrose and Aldi to stop selling disposable barbecues due to their risk to wildlife.
Now a bill being put forward by North Devon Tory MP Selaine Saxby would ban disposable barbecues near moorland, beaches, and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Councils would also get the power to scrap the sale of the single-use fire hazards in their area.
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Saxby said the UK had become a “tinderbox” amid record 40 degree temperatures this summer.
“This year saw over 700 wildfires burning, losing 70 square miles of some of our most vulnerable and precious habitats. For what? The right to scold a sausage anywhere of your choosing, regardless of the risks,” the MP blasted.
She insisted her bill was “not seeking to ban the Great British BBQ” and was targeted to nature hotspots.
In July, London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined the London Fire Brigade in calling for a “total ban” on disposable BBQs, following one of the busiest weeks in the brigade’s history.
“While disposable BBQs only cost a few pounds, their impact can be so much more than that,” Ms Saxby said. And she compared allowing disposable BBQs to being allowed to smoke on planes in the past: “We think that’s completely unacceptable now.”
Disposable BBQs are banned in large parts of the United States and “home of the barbie” Australia.
The North Devon MP added: “We can’t continue to allow the right to scold a sausage anywhere to cause so much damage and destruction. The time to act is now.”
Her bill will return to the Commons in January but will need government support to become law.
In August, a fire swept over a nature site in North Devon, after the wind picked up a disposable BBQ. Twenty acres of gorseland was burnt while 70 firefighters spent a day battling the flames.
Over 27,000 people signed a Keep Britain Tidy petition to completely ban the sale and use of disposable BBQs in the UK.
A Defra spokesperson told the Mirror: “We encourage people to responsibly use and dispose of barbecues to help protect human health, wildlife and our environment.
“We have commissioned research to examine the impact of barbecues and other flammable items on our environment. We expect this research to be completed by early next year when we will be in a position to consider further action.”
