UK bans sale of disposable barbeques over wildfire risk

Disposable barbecues have been temporarily banned from sale in the UK over fears they pose a "significant risk to the public" amid ongoing drought and heat waves, the government said Friday.

On the temporary ban, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said that disposable barbecues have caused "a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months."

The measure came after it was discussed during an emergency Cobra meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday as part of the government's response to record temperatures earlier this week.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that the country is like "a tinderbox" as fire crews in the West Midlands continue to battle multiple blazes.

In a video message posted on US social media company X, the prime minister said: "This is what climate change looks like, here and now," adding that the UK has grappled with a number of wildfires in recent days.

"We shouldn't just accept this as inevitable, and I don't," he added.

Separately, speaking to the BBC, Burnham said there are currently 37 active fires across England and Wales, adding that four of them are "major incidents."

According to reports, almost 40 properties were damaged by fire, with 19 of them completely destroyed in the Stourbridge fire.