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2026-08-02 19:02 UTC → 2026-08-04 20:55 UTC ·
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UK wildfires and spur retailer pullback of disposable BBQ ban push BBQs
A large Following the August 2026 wildfire on Cannock Chase in the West Midlands, that sparked by a disposable barbecue, led Staffordshire County Council to close Chase Road and prompted fire services to contain the blaze. In response, calls from MP Jon Pearce wrote to major UK retailers urging for a suspension of ban on disposable barbecue sales, citing barbecues, retailers have progressively withdrawn the heightened fire risk during an unusually dry summer. Several retailers, including products. Initially, Co‑op and Sainsbury’s, pledged to halt Sainsbury’s halted nationwide sales. Two sales, and within days later, Pearce expanded his appeal, noting that additional retailers other chains such as Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, M&S, Morrisons, Tesco M&S and Home Bargains had already removed Morrisons followed. In early August, the items from High Peak stores National Fire Chiefs Council issued voluntary guidance during a prolonged heatwave, prompting Asda, Tesco, Co‑op and many agreed Sainsbury’s to a nationwide pull‑back. He called for a government ban on the use of temporarily remove disposable barbecues in public spaces, emphasizing from stores and online, while Wilko and The Range did the same. Pearce welcomed the expanded pull‑back and urged that the guidance be made mandatory, arguing that retailer action could help prevent further wildfires. is essential to curb the more than 700 wildfire incidents recorded across England and Wales this year. Fire services continue to battle blazes in locations such as Dunwich, Suffolk and the Rhondda Valley, Wales.