British retailer M&S has confirmed it has banned the sale of all disposable BBQs in every store across the UK in a bid to reduce the risk of fires.
The high-street giant has made the decision to pull the summer staple "to help protect open spaces and reduce the risk of fires", following calls to remove them amid rising concerns during the heatwave.
The move, which came into effect earlier this week, comes after the UK experienced record-breaking temperatures which led to an increase in blazes across the country, reports The BBC News.
A spokesperson for M&S has said: "We'd already stopped selling disposable barbecues near national parks and in London but given the unusually hot and dry conditions, we've taken the precautionary step of removing them from sale across the UK."
It comes after a record heatwave swept across the country, with certain parts of Scotland reaching all-time highs of 38C, leading to an increase fire risk due to the dryer conditions.
M&S' decision has been welcomed by fire chief's who have seen a surge in phone calls and fire incidents following the extremely warm weather this summer.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) called for supermarkets to ban the summer item after a rise in blazes across the UK led to them experiencing their busiest ever day since World War 2.
Commissioner Andy Roe recently took to Twitter to urge major supermarkets across the country, including Asda, Tesco and Lidl, to completely remove disposable BBQs in a bid to reduce the risk of wildfires.
Speaking of M&S' move, the LFB said: "We want to work with retailers to stop the sale of disposable barbecues and reduce the risk of dangerous grass fires."
M&S' are not the only retailer to make the move following the increase in wildfires, as the Co-op stopped selling disposable barbecues that were situated within one mile of national parks back in 2021.
Budget supermarket Aldi also announced back in March that they would no longer sell the summer item in any of their UK stores in a bid to protect national parks and wildlife.
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