Burnham imposes temporary barbecue ban as military deployed to tackle wildfires
Downing Street orders retailers to withdraw single-use grills as hospitalisations rise in the West Midlands and emergency financial support for fire services is drafted.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has issued a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of disposable barbecues as the United Kingdom contends with severe wildfires. The directive, issued from Downing Street, urges retailers to withdraw single-use grills from both physical stores and online platforms, citing the products as unsafe under current weather conditions.
Burnham described the nation as being in a “tinderbox” state, with hotter and drier weather expected to persist through September and into October. The Prime Minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been hospitalised following eight fires that have damaged several homes. He cautioned that while not all 37 fires reported across Britain are linked to barbecues, it is probable that some were caused by them.
To bolster firefighting capabilities, the government has deployed the military to assist ground crews and is commissioning aerial firefighting planes, similar to those used in Europe and the United States. Additionally, plans are being finalised to provide emergency financial support to fire services struggling to contain the spread of the blazes.
The government’s published advice notes that single-use grills have been responsible for a number of serious wildfires over previous summer months. Officials have stated that disposable barbecues cannot be considered safe products given the ongoing environmental conditions and must not be made available for sale at this time.
Burnham has faced scrutiny for not explicitly addressing the climate emergency following his first Cobra meeting on the heatwave earlier this week. Simultaneously, the government is reviewing whether to permit further North Sea drilling at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields, a move green groups have criticised as counterproductive during a climate crisis.
When pressed on the issue, Burnham described his approach to North Sea drilling as “pragmatic,” arguing that the country will not be able to stop using oil and gas immediately. He emphasised that the priority is building resilience against immediate threats such as fires and potential late autumn floods, while continuing the broader shift toward clean energy.
