Major UK retailers PULL disposable BBQs from shelves to avoid wildfire risk

MAJOR UK retailers have started pulling disposable BBQs from shelves to help prevent wildfires. Several wildfires have been sparked around the country in recent days amid the ongoing dry and hot weather, in areas including Snowdonia National Park and Suffolk. Disposable BBQs are being pulled from shelves at major UK retailers amid a wildfire risk Credit: Getty Asda became the latest supermarket to pull the products this week Credit: Getty Images In response, supermarkets have stopped selling single-use grills in stores and online, as they can lead to fires. Asda became the latest retailer to pull the products from shelves on Tuesday, while Sainsbury’s has also paused sales of them until August 12. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Tesco and the Co-op also stopped selling the BBQs in July, while Wilko and The Range have started pulling them. Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and M&S have not sold disposable grills since 2022. Those suspending sales are understood to have acted in line with voluntary guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) lasting until next Wednesday as parts of the country face a prolonged heatwave. Morrisons appeared to be selling instant BBQs online as of Tuesday evening. Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, also wrote to retail giants last week asking them to stop selling single-use grills for the rest of the summer. He welcomed the decision by major chains and urged smaller retailers to follow suit, but said Government action was also needed. Most read in Money He said the NFCC guidance on disposable BBQs should be made mandatory, adding: “The big retailers are taking the lead, which is great, but now we need the others to come in behind them.” He said he would continue campaigning for a ban on the use of disposable BBQs in public spaces, adding: “The Government needs to genuinely look at what’s happening. “It’s great retailers are supporting us this summer but I would expect the Government to look at the risks and act ahead of next summer.” Fire chiefs warned last week that wildfires were becoming an “increasingly significant and sustained pressure” on services, which have responded to more than 700 in England and Wales so far this year. The NFCC urged against using disposable BBQs in open countryside, parks and moorland area to “significantly reduce the risk” of blazes. A Co-op spokesperson said: “Co-op takes its environmental and community responsibilities extremely seriously and has a long-standing policy for the safe sale disposable BBQs, supported by the NFCC. “Due to the very hot weather and drought conditions the UK is currently experiencing, and in line with the NFCC guidance, we have voluntarily removed all disposable BBQs from sale for a temporary period.” A spokesperson for Tesco said: “As a responsible retailer Tesco follows the voluntary code on the sale of disposable barbecues created by the British Retail Consortium and the NFCC. “In line with the code, we have temporarily removed disposable barbecues from sale across our stores and online.” Morrisons has been contacted for comment. Comment now