M&S announces UK ban on disposable BBQs
Supermarket Marks and Spencer (M&S) has decided to stop selling disposable barbeques in a bid to reduce the risk of fires.
The move came into effect in UK stores earlier in the week beginning Monday 1st August.
In March, Aldi also halted the sale of its range of disposable barbecues. Commenting on move at the time, Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, said: “We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and know that many of our shoppers are increasingly looking to do the same.”
Fox added: “We hope customers can embrace our latest move and still want them to enjoy their summer picnics and barbecues. As an alternative, we would encourage customers to opt for more environmentally friendly and sustainable options such as mini portable barbecues, ensuring they are used responsibly.”
A spokesperson for M&S said that the retailer has already stopped selling disposable barbecues near national parks and in London. They added that “given the unusually hot and dry conditions, we’ve taken the precautionary step of removing them from sale across the UK.”
This news comes after a call by the London Fire Commissioner for a total ban on disposable barbecues, following “one of the busiest weeks in [its] history.”
In a statement by London Fire Brigade, the organisation said that disposable barbecues “pose a significant fire risk if they are not put out properly, causing grass fires in open spaces and scorching the grassed areas. The dry spell has left grassland like a tinderbox and increases the chances of a fire caused by a disposable barbecue.”
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