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Cobra urges BBQ pause
Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged “all retailers big and small” to pull disposable barbecues from sale after chairing a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee in response to exceptionally hot and dry weather.
“all retailers big and small”
Burnham warned extreme heat conditions “could be with us for some weeks yet” as the UK faced a fifth heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 38C on Thursday in the fifth heatwave of the summer.
The National Fire Chiefs Council data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, matching the record-breaking total for the whole of 2025.
Burnham said “There is advice to the public here not to use disposable barbecues,” and he added that the framework restricting retail sale of disposable barbecues was being extended.
The Telegraph reported Burnham was “certainly going to consider” a disposable barbecue ban after wildfires were linked to the devices during recent UK heatwaves.
Fire chiefs and drought
NFCC chairman Phil Garrigan told PA that “Hot, dry weather and drought are turning parts of the UK into tinderbox landscapes,” allowing fires to spread faster and burn longer.
The Independent said nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, while temperatures are expected to climb as high as 38C in some parts of England on Thursday.
The London Evening Standard reported Burnham said the New Forest fire was a “great concern,” and he also said “The wildfires I mentioned, many of them have been created by disposable barbecues.”
The Daily Mirror quoted Burnham saying the “big risk” is wildfires and that fire services are supporting each other through mutual aid while the Government keeps a “very close watching brief.”
The Independent added that the Government confirmed through the National Fire Chiefs Council that the framework restricting retail sale of disposable barbecues is being extended, and Burnham said longer term it would look at whether a temporary ban is justified.
Health and next steps
Burnham also pointed to heat-related mortality, saying there had been a “significant number of excess deaths from heat this summer already,” and he urged the public to follow health advice including checking on elderly friends and relatives.
“Durante las olas de calor de mayo y junio, vimos más de 2.800 vidas perdidas a causa del calor extremo”
The Independent reported that rare amber “extreme heat” warnings were issued by the Met Office for London and parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands and South Yorkshire from 9am to midnight on Thursday.
The El Español account said Health Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the NHS must start preparing systematically for summer heatwaves, and she warned “During las olas de calor de mayo y junio, vimos más de 2.800 vidas perdidas a causa del calor extremo.”
The Independent said Southern Water applied for a rare drought order that would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling non-domestic swimming pools, citing an “exceptional” lack of rain threatening supplies in Hampshire.
In the UK-wide response, the Government urged retailers to adhere to the extended framework restricting retail sale of disposable barbecues, while Burnham said it would look at whether a temporary ban in summer months is justified.
