Britain to Consider Restrictions on Disposable Barbecue Grills Due to Wildfires
The British government will consider banning disposable grills amid wildfires in the country. Prime Minister Andy Burnham made this announcement, according to The Guardian World.
Disposable charcoal grills can remain hot for several hours after use, making them difficult to dispose of safely. People sometimes leave them where they are or throw them into trash bins, where the coals continue to smolder. The temperature of charcoal trays can reach 450°C, and burying them does not eliminate the risk of fire, as the charcoal can continue to burn underground.
In July 2026, firefighters discovered a fire in Sherbrooke Valley on the Cannock Chase estate in Staffordshire. The fire engulfed an area the size of a soccer field, and a disposable barbecue grill was identified as the cause. According to local officials, the fire could have caused significant damage to local wildlife and the habitats of protected species, particularly ground-nesting dormice.
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Among other incidents, the publication mentions a major wildfire near Macclesfield in Cheshire in July 2026. The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service believed that a discarded grill was the likely cause. That same month in Feltham, near London, one of three grass fires damaged six hectares of wasteland near residential buildings in a single day. Following these fires, the London Fire Brigade urged the public not to use disposable charcoal grills and to thoroughly extinguish cigarettes.
The National Farmers’ Union called for a ban on such grills. At the same time, a government representative stated that there are no plans for a complete ban: the authorities have tightened safety requirements for the products and granted local councils the authority to ban them in areas with a high risk of fire. Labour MP John Pearce proposes partially restricting the use of disposable grills in public places, while portable grills could be exempt from the restrictions since they are taken away after use.
According to a government study released last year, more than 1,600 fires in England between 2020 and 2024 were caused by barbecues. However, the study did not specify how many of these were specifically linked to disposable grills, and the cause of most of the nearly 4,500 recorded fires could not be determined.
