According to BBC News, the UK government has issued a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues during the current drought and heatwave conditions, stating the products represent a "significant risk to the public." The measure applies across Great Britain and prohibits both in-store and online sales while it remains in force.
What changed
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said the product has been the cause of "a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months," according to BBC News. The department stated that disposable barbecues "cannot be considered a safe product" in the current conditions and "must not be made available for sale either in store or online at the current time" in Great Britain.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC that all retailers will be receiving guidance about the change, which will be kept under review. The prospect of a temporary ban was discussed earlier at an emergency Cobra meeting on Wednesday.
Who is affected
All retailers in Great Britain that sell disposable barbecues are within scope, whether they operate physical stores or e-commerce platforms. The temporary ban follows a voluntary framework agreed in 2023 between fire chiefs and the British Retail Consortium, under which a number of large retailers and supermarkets had already stopped selling the devices. That framework called for retailers to suspend sales once an extreme heat event has been declared as imminent, or in response to "reasonable, evidence based" requests from local councils.
Fire incident data
Burnham, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley, said: "We've got 37 fires across England and Wales right now, four of them are major incidents." He added that the fires were not all linked to disposable barbecues, but "it's probable that some of them have been caused in that way."
Britain is a tinderbox right now. Setting a fire in any outdoor setting of any kind is a risk to other people's homes, it's a risk to other people's lives, don't do it, please don't do it. — Prime Minister Andy Burnham, in comments to the BBC
Key facts at a glance
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Measure | Temporary ban on sale of disposable barbecues |
| Jurisdiction | Great Britain |
| Sales channels | In-store and online |
| Stated basis | "Significant risk to the public" during drought and heatwave |
| Department | Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade |
| Stated cause | A number of serious wildfires over the summer |
| Review | Kept under review |
| Prior framework | 2023 agreement between fire chiefs and British Retail Consortium |
Compliance obligations
For trade compliance officers, customs brokers, and legal counsel monitoring product standards regulations, the key obligations from the BBC report are:
- Cease making disposable barbecues available for sale in stores and online across Great Britain at the current time.
- Await guidance to retailers, which Prime Minister Burnham said would be issued to all retailers.
- Monitor the status of the ban, as the government has said it will be kept under review.
- Review the 2023 voluntary framework to understand the pre-existing trigger points: an imminent extreme heat event or "reasonable, evidence based" requests from local councils.
While the BBC report does not specify a fixed end date or penalty structure, the mandatory ban is in effect now and overrides the previous voluntary approach. The government's position, as quoted by the BBC, is that disposable barbecues "cannot be considered a safe product" in the current conditions, making the temporary measure a regulatory compliance priority for any business with Great Britain sales operations.
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