Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on all retailers to remove disposable barbecues from sale following an emergency Cobra committee meeting, as England and Wales have already recorded 1,017 wildfires this year, matching the total for the whole of 2025.
Speaking after the meeting on Wednesday, Mr Burnham appealed to "all retailers big and small" to withdraw the barbecues from their shelves, warning that extreme heat conditions "could be with us for some weeks yet". The Government's emergency Cobra committee convened in response to the prolonged period of exceptionally hot and dry weather.
Retailers urged to follow framework
Most major UK supermarkets have already halted sales of disposable barbecues in recent weeks, following voluntary guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). Mr Burnham called on all shops to cease selling them and suggested that an outright ban could be explored in future summers.
He said: "The big risk in terms of risk to the wider regions across the country is the risk of wildfires. What we are seeing is multiple serious incidents across the country."
"Fire services, by and large, are supporting each other through mutual aid to deal with those incidents but we are keeping a very close watching brief on them. There is advice to the public here not to use disposable barbecues."
"We have today confirmed through the National Fire Chiefs Council that the framework restricting the retail sale of those disposable barbecues is being extended. Now I would ask all retailers big and small to adhere to that framework."
"Longer term we will look at whether a temporary ban in the summer months is justified."
Heat-related deaths and climate concerns
The Prime Minister stated there had been a "significant number of excess deaths from heat this summer already" and encouraged the public to follow health guidance, including keeping in touch with elderly friends and relatives.
When asked about North Sea fossil fuel extraction given climate change impacts, Mr Burnham said: "It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control."
He added: "The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time. But I have said that we have had it all but confirmed that this is the hottest summer on record, and as we go through it, we need to realise that these conditions could be with us for some weeks yet."
"There is some rain forecast, but not necessarily rain that will change the situation fundamentally. So we are looking at a dry prospect going forward."
Fire chiefs warn of 'tinderbox' conditions
Fire service chiefs cautioned that the extended dry period combined with extreme temperatures had turned parts of the country into a "tinderbox". NFCC chairman Phil Garrigan told PA: "Most wildfires in the UK are caused because of human behaviours, careless, accidental or unfortunately intentional acts. But as climate change brings more frequent periods of hot, dry weather, the conditions for wildfires are becoming more dangerous, increasing their scale and intensity."
"Hot, dry weather and drought are turning parts of the UK into tinderbox landscapes, allowing fires to spread faster, burn longer and place greater pressure on fire and rescue services."
Nearly three-quarters of England and the entirety of Wales are currently experiencing drought conditions, with temperatures forecast to reach as high as 38C in parts of England on Thursday.
Baroness Brown, who chairs the Climate Change Committee's adaptation work, told PA: "We need to remember that this is as good as it gets. It gets worse from here. Until we get to net zero, things go on getting worse." She called on the Government to implement measures to help the UK adapt, including air conditioning in hospitals, schools and for vulnerable families.
Southern Water has applied for a rare drought order that would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling non-domestic swimming pools, citing an "exceptional" shortage of rainfall affecting Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The company warned that 165,000 residents in the Southampton West supply area could face restricted water supplies. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.
