A UK fire chief has urged the Government to consider a 'total ban' on disposable barbecues - as the country braces itself for a potential second summer heatwave.
The warning follows on from London Fire Brigade's 'busiest week' in history last week, through a number of weather -related emergencies and fires.
London’s Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said "urgent action" was needed, calling for a national ban on disposable barbecues - which he added could cause "untold damage".
Read more: 'Leave us alone' – Fire bosses' plea to government after inspectors praise Tyne and Wear service
Fire crews attended in excess of 1,000 fires in the week commencing July 18 - with temperatures soaring. They also are said to have taken twice as many calls as usual, and tackled an unprecedented number of large grassland fires.
Wales Online reports that during that period, the brigade received 8,302 calls - while on average it usually takes around 450 calls a day. Mr Roe said people behaved "carelessly" and "recklessly" despite an abundance of prior warnings about grass fires.
On Saturday July 23, firefighters prevented a serious blaze at Wanstead Flats, east London, caused by a disposable barbecue. Mr Roe said disposable barbecues "can be bought for as little as £5 and can cause untold damage, especially when the grass is as dry as it has been over the last few weeks".
He added: “Last week is another example of how we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes and we’re developing long-term strategies to deal with more incidents like this in the future.” Waitrose, Aldi, and other retailers have announced they will no longer stock disposable barbecues, due to their detrimental impact on the environment and wildlife.
Last week, the UK experienced a widespread heatwave with record breaking highs of 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, last Tuesday. On that day, the fire service also saw its busiest day of the year since the Second World War due to the extreme heat. They took 2,670 calls and attended 1,146 incidents.
Some 16 homes were lost through the large fire in Wennington, East London, with crews having to fight to also save the fire station from the blaze. The National Fire Chiefs Council has warned that UK cities need to prepare for wildfires in the future, after dozens of blazes broke out during last weeks scorching heatwave.
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