Morrisons and Asda have joined Tesco, Sainsbury’s and other major retailers in stopping the sale of disposable barbecues as the risk of bushfires rises.
Both supermarkets said they were temporarily removing the product from sale in all stores due to the hot, dry weather, with drought expected to be formally declared in parts of southern and eastern England on Friday. Morrisons said in March it would remove disposable barbecues from sale within a mile of national parks to help prevent bushfires.
Their move leaves Lidl as the only major supermarket chain to continue to sell disposable barbecues across the country. Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Aldi have announced they will no longer stock single-use barbecues due to the potential harmful impact they have on the environment and wildlife. The Co-op has stopped selling them near national parks.
Tesco changed its policy from a local ban near areas of outstanding beauty, such as the New Forest, to a UK pause late on Thursday in light of the heatwave and dry conditions. It is understood that there are plans to restock disposable barbecues once weather conditions make it safe to do so.
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Sainsbury’s said earlier on Thursday it was removing the items from sale as a “precautionary measure” during the hot dry weather and would monitor the situation and listen to feedback from its shoppers.
Retailers acted after the weather service issued its highest warning under its fire severity index.
A petition on the UK government’s website calling for a national ban has received more than 20,000 signatures. The Labor Party is calling for a total ban on their sale, while Andy Rowe, London’s fire commissioner, said “urgent action” must be taken to ban the sale of disposable barbecues because of the “unspeakable damage” they cause .
Barbecues are a fire hazard, especially when used on dry ground. Parts of England have experienced their driest weather in 111 years, creating fire conditions that have led to a series of crop and grass fires.
One-off barbecues have been cited as the cause of several fires, including a serious blaze in Leakey Hills, near Birmingham. There was also a large fire at Morden Hall Park in south London, caused by an abandoned disposable barbecue, which left much of the park charred.
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