Sainsbury’s and Tesco stop selling disposable barbecues amid wildfire risk

Sainsbury’s and Tesco are the latest supermarkets to pull disposable barbecues from shelves amid the ongoing heatwave.

As the UK bakes in temperature highs of 35C, the supermarket giants have made the decision to stop selling disposable barbecues across all their stores.

Sainsbury’s said the policy was a precautionary measure, after pausing the sale of disposable barbecues until further notice due to the fire risk they pose in the unusually hot and dry weather.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “As a precautionary measure we are removing from sale all disposable barbecues until further notice.

“Safety is our highest priority and we have made this decision due to the hot and dry weather that we are currently experiencing across the country.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and listen to customer feedback.”

Read More: MPs call for disposable barbecues to be banned ahead of summer

According to ITV News, Tesco has temporarily paused the sale of disposable barbecues across the UK, but it will continue to offer small metal portable barbecues for customers, saying that disposable barbecues will be made available again once weather conditions allow.

This comes after other retailers including Waitrose and Aldi announced they would no longer stock disposable barbecues due to their ‘detrimental impact’ on the environment and wildlife.

Namiras1 / Wikimedia Commons

Co-Op and Morrisons don’t sell the barbecues in any of their stores near national parks.

Just last month, the Oldham Fire Team were called out to reports of a fire caused by a disposable barbecue in Oldham moorland. 

While the fire was eventually brought under control, the crew took to social media to warn of the dangers these barbecues can pose, especially during extreme weather. 

They wrote: “Crews from Oldham were out again last night dealing with a fire in moorland caused by a disposable BBQ.

“Fortunately our crews were able to bring the fire under control by this morning. Having a BBQ (or any fire) on the moors is thoughtless & irresponsible in this extreme weather.”