Disposable barbecues could be BANNED amid heatwave wildfires, Andy Burnham says

DISPOSABLE barbecues could be banned following raging wildfires across the UK, the Prime Minister has said. Andy Burnham said today: “People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time”. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the government is considering a ban on disposable barbacues Credit: PA The PM said people ‘should not be using’ them at the moment Credit: Getty He added that the government is “certainly going to consider” a ban after several destructive wildfires were caused by disposable barbecues. Speaking to reporters he said: “There is obviously a significant problem of wildfires in the south. The New Forest fire is a great concern; we have seen them in northern areas, as well as Suffolk recently.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He added: “This is a message for the public as well because the wildfires I mentioned, many of them have been created by disposable barbecues.” Mr Burnham continued: “I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear. People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time. “I don’t know yet what the remedy is, but I do want to leave the meeting today with a loud and clear message that we do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires.” This comes ahead of Mr Burnham calling an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the extreme heat later today. Today will be the second Cobra meeting on heatwaves this year after one took place amid high temperatures in June. Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Home Office, and Department for Health will attend, and the Environment Agency will also be present. Most read in The Sun A No.10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of COBR – the government emergency committee – this afternoon on the UK’s ongoing response to extreme heat, wildfires and drought. “We know how challenging this summer is proving, particularly for firefighters tackling wildfires, farmers working in drought conditions, and NHS staff in busy A&E units. “We will continue to take the action needed to keep communities safe, protect water supplies and safeguard the environment.” This comes as Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), warned the UK faces a national emergency “right now” with fires across the country. Firefighters have responded to 966 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including 185 in the first 10 days of August alone, while July was the busiest month on record for wildfires with 458 incidents, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said. Steve told Times Radio: “In many parts of the country, firefighters do not have the new modern equipment to deal with these. “They do not have the new modern personal protective equipment, the lightweight fire kit that we wear, the right helmets, lightweight helmets, breathable uniforms to make sure they’re better protected, their health is protected when they’re out dealing with these incidents for hours and hours on end.”