UK considers disposable barbecue ban over wildfire risk

The UK government is considering banning disposable barbecues to help prevent wildfires during the country's extreme summer heat, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Stevenage, Burnham said he is "certainly going to consider" a ban.

“There is obviously a significant problem of wildfires in the south,” Burnham said. “The New Forest fire is a great concern; we have seen them in northern areas, as well as Suffolk recently.”

He said many of the wildfires had been caused by disposable barbecues and urged the public not to use them outdoors under the current conditions.

“I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear. People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time,” he said.

Burnham said he wanted the government's Cobra meeting to send a clear message about the risks posed by disposable barbecues and cigarettes in the countryside.

“I don’t know yet what the remedy is, but I do want to leave the meeting today with a loud and clear message that we do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires,” he said.

The UK's Met Office said Tuesday the country is on course to record its hottest summer on record for average temperature if average conditions continue through the rest of August.

Heat health alerts have been upgraded across England ahead of soaring temperatures, with highs of up to 36 C (96.8 F) forecast in southeast England on Thursday.

More than two-thirds of England is officially in drought after the country recorded its driest July since records began in 1836.

Last month, the UK Health Security Agency said Britain recorded 2,877 excess deaths during the May and June heat waves, nearly double the 1,504 excess deaths recorded during the summer of 2025.