Major supermarkets have banned disposable barbecues from being sold

Several UK supermarkets have pulled disposable barbecues from their shelves amid the ongoing heatwave. 

With the UK currently experiencing high temperatures and dry conditions, several areas in the south of England have been given drought status and firefighters have been left battling ‘brutal’ grass fires. 

The Met Office's fire severity index has placed most of England and Wales at ‘high’, ‘very high’ or ‘exceptional’ risk of fire. 

In response, several supermarket chains, including Morrisons and Co-op, have suspended the sale of disposable barbecues. 

In a statement yesterday, Co-op said: "As a precautionary measure due to the extreme hot weather, we've removed instant BBQs from sale in all Co-op stores until further notice."

Morrisons had made a similar announcement earlier on, saying: "In light of the long dry spell in the UK this summer we are temporarily removing disposable barbecues from all stores until further notice."

Tesco has also stopped sales of the items, saying it will return them once weather conditions allow. 

While Marks & Spencer and Ocado have both also decided to temporarily remove the item from sale. 

Aldi and Waitrose had already stopped selling disposable barbecues earlier this year, due to the impact they can have on the environment. 

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has praised the move, saying in a statement: “The hot weather has made the grass tinderbox dry and the smallest of sparks could start a blaze. 

“That's why we're working with retailers to stop the sale of disposable BBQs and are urging Londoners not to BBQ in parks.”

The Met Office has revealed that last month was the ‘driest’ in almost 90 years. 

It said: “The summer 2022 has been remarkable on many fronts. 

“We exceeded the 40°C threshold for the first time ever, and for England the January-July period has had 69 percent of average rainfall making it the ninth driest in a series from 1836, and the driest such period since 1976.

“July was also the driest July for England since 1935 and the driest on record for East Anglia, southeast and southern England."

The LFB is urging people to take extra care to prevent fires as temperatures remain high across the weekend. 

A spokesperson said: “There are still high temperatures forecast, especially for the coming days, and the ground remains dry.

“We’re urging people to take extra care and help us prevent fires on open land this summer.

“Make sure rubbish, especially glass, is safely thrown away and cigarettes are always properly disposed of. Grass will be tinder dry after periods of hot weather, so please don’t have barbecues in parks and public spaces.”