DISPOSABLE BBQS BANNED ACROSS BRITAIN TO CURB WILDFIRE THREAT

Sun 16 August 2026:

The UK government announced on Friday a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues, citing concerns that they present a significant public safety risk during the current drought and heatwaves.

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.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Drought hits over two-thirds of England

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

The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs were moved into drought status on Monday.

They join around half of England and the whole of Wales, already affected by drought conditions.

The decision was made by the National Drought Group, which brings together regulators, government officials, water companies and agricultural organizations.

“Along with the areas announced last week, most of the country (71.3%) is now experiencing a flash drought – which develops very quickly brought about by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures,” it said.

About 45 million people are now living in drought-affected areas of England, with more than 27 million facing water use restrictions, it noted.

“Drought conditions are worsening and will continue to do so until we see significant and sustained rainfall. We know the hot and dry weather is taking a real toll on farming and there will be long-lasting impacts on our environment,” Tony Grayling, chair of the National Drought Group, said in a statement.

Last month, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) 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.

On July 30, a drought was declared for Wales as a whole amid deteriorating conditions caused by sustained high temperatures, while a drought was also declared last month across half of England following record-low rainfall and prolonged high temperatures.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22