Sainsbury’s halts disposable barbecues sales amid wildfire risk

theguardian.com:

Sainsbury’s has halted sales of disposable barbecues amid rising alarm about their potential to spark wildfires, as large swathes of the UK suffer a lengthy dry spell.

The supermarket chain is the biggest retailer yet to introduce a complete ban after Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Aldi announced they will no longer stock disposable barbecues because of the potential detrimental impact they have on the environment and wildlife.

The Co-op decided to stop selling disposable barbecues in 130 stores situatedwithin a one-mile radius of national parks in June last year, while Tesco and Morrisons have a similar policy. Morrisons is reportedly reviewing whether to stop selling them altogether.

Temperatures have climbed again this week with tinderbox conditions, after the longest dry spell since 1976, prompting the Met Office to issue its highest warning under its fire severity index.

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A petition on the UK government website calling for a national ban has so far received more than 20,000 signatures. The Labour party are also calling for a complete ban on their sale. Andy Roe, London’s fire commissioner, said “urgent action” must be taken to outlaw the sale of disposable barbecues because of the “untold damage” they cause.

The barbecues are a fire risk, especially when used on dry ground, as parts of England have seen the driest weather experienced for 111 years. Drought conditions have prompted several water companies to issue hosepipe bans.

Disposable barbecues were cited as the cause of several of fires, including a serious blaze in Lickey Hills near Birmingham. Morden Hall Park in south London was also