Councillors on Dorset Council’s Cabinet have discussed recommendations at its meeting on 6 April and have agreed to continue looking at the orders for the banning of disposable BBQs on Dorset land in high fire risk areas across Dorset. These will come into force at a later date.
The proposals did not recommend a blanket ban on disposable BBQs in the whole of the county, only in areas which are known to be high fire risk, such as in forests, grasslands and on protected heathland.
The report to Cabinet asked councillors to consider a range options which would form part of an overall strategy for the management of disposable BBQs. The council will work alongside its partners in Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to implement and communicate any changes.
These options for recommendations include:
- The adoption of new council ‘disposable BBQ and campfires/wildfires’ policy
- Establishment of controlled gas or electric BBQ areas in high risk locations
- Enhanced education and communication
- Introduction of a coordinated approach to banning disposable BBQs in high risk areas.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:
“The use of disposable BBQs in high fire risk areas of Dorset cannot continue. The devastation of Wareham Forest last year was inexcusable and could have been avoided.
“We know that disposable BBQs are a real threat to our important forests and heathlands in Dorset. They also contribute to litter as, ironically, they are quite hard to dispose of because they stay hot for many hours.
“The recommendations in the paper to Cabinet members give a good range of options for discussion. No decisions have been taken at this stage.”
Group Manager Darren Langdown, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service wildfire lead said:
“Large wildfires can be very serious and quickly affect large areas of the countryside. They also take a great deal of resources to bring under control, which can impact the availability of fire appliances for property fires, road traffic collisions, assisting our colleagues during the Coronavirus pandemic and other emergencies.
He added: “The 2020 Wareham Forest fire saw over 200 firefighters from across Dorset & Wiltshire and from neighbouring services deal with over 220 hectares of forest alight. This is believed to have been caused by a disposable BBQ. The incident took over 10 days to bring under control and was subject to multiple reignitions due to the nature of the terrain and the weather conditions.”
Last year there were 74 recorded fires that are known to have been caused by irresponsible use of disposable BBQs causing devastating damage to the inhabitants of heathlands and forests.
Cabinet met on 6 April and councillors decided that more work needs to be done on the options.
Banned them from Dorset full stop no need of them as if pubs open back up in the summer people eat out again no need for this anymore lots of eat in and take way opening back up soon come people come help local people don’t start fire in Dorset soon or later someone lose they live.
With so much heathland and woodland, the county is especially vulnerable to fire started by disposable barbecues. The scale of the fire at Wareham Forest, the damage to the environment and the ecosystem, the cost to local services and, in particular, the danger to both humans and animals, warrants the total ban of disposable barbecues throughout the county. Even when they are not used in areas where fire danger is high, their incorrect use damages picnic benches and grassland and litter is left behind. I can see no argument to justify anything but a complete ban.
Don’t discuss it; just ban them!
Supermarkets in the Dorset area including the main Asda at Poole already have Summer season disposable BBQs on sale with big promotions , if a ban was to work then surely supermarkets need to re think ! Only sell the non disposable ones or have a big campaign aimed at saving our beautiful countryside from more devastating fires.. but also camp fires need to included as people will and do use this option if a disposable bbq is banned ? I walk off the beaten track and come across quite a few old fires and BBQs!! In areas that are protected .
BBQs were already banned in wareham forest but this didn’t deter people from camping out and using them ,even if lockdown restrictions are lifted people will be desperate to get out and about and having a BBQ is part of their day out ! I saw groups of people at Christmas carrying disposable BBQs down to worbarrow bay with families getting together so what will stop families meeting up and having big BBQ gatherings again ! Even if the ban is just in high risk areas it will send people to other beauty spots which in turn will become high risk ,disposable BBQS are dangerous and not always produced to high safety standards they pollute and release chemicals when lit ,cannot be recycled. Promote picnicking make disposable BBQs a dirty word in the countryside keep them to controlled approved areas.
I think it has to be a hot spot ban and if the problem continues a county wide ban.
But who will take notice or get caught !
Just do it. There’s no other way to control the fire resk.
I agree wholeheartedly. It really grieves me to see acres and acres of land burnt to a cinder. If theses idiots can’t have a barbecue safely,
then there should be a blanket ban.Let them have a good day out and then have their barbecues in there own back yard when they get home.
It wouldn’t surprise me if these are the very same people who leave rubbish around all our Dorset beauty spots! Do they come from
Dorset I wonder??
I think The New Forest is also putting these measures in place. It would be sensible for the policies of neighbouring Councils to be the same. They (NFNPA) must have seen the Canford Heath fire and thought themselves lucky.
Single use barbeques are a hazard when used on beaches, After use the continue to very hot making them a hazard to bare feet and a fire hazard when disposed of in a bin. They should be banned for sale in all shops in seaside towns.
Surely there is very little debate required on this issue, they should certainly be banned in high risk areas. The devastation that has been caused by the stupidity of the people using them cannot be allowed to continue.
Personally I think their use in public should be banned completely. As we all know, far too many people are only too happy to leave their rubbish for someone else to deal with and a hot bbq is a real hazard for wildlife and children not to mention anyone tasked with removing them.
It is not enough to ban the use of disposable BBQs, there has to be a total ban on the sale of disposable BBQs, and the bans have to be enforced.
Just ban the things completely so you can’t buy them. People who are prepared to throw litter all over our beaches are not going to take any notice of restrictions. Same applies to sky lanterns.
A complete ban throughout the county
A total ban is needed. Local stores in Poole are selling them again, including Tesco at Sandbanks, which is so close to Brownsea Island, Studland beach and heaths, and other extremely vulnerable areas.
I think there should be a complete ban on disposable BBQs ,and camp fires should be banned anywhere except on official camp sites. If people need to eat in the outdoors they should make do with traditional picnics … burnt meat is not essential for a good meal!