High street retailer Marks & Spencer has announced that it will no longer sell disposable barbeques in any of its stores. The retailer announced the store-wide ban on Twitter, ahead of weather forecasters predicting a heatwave for the UK in the coming days.
M&S tweeted: "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."
London Fire Brigade has praised the decision to ban disposable BBQs from the stores, reports the Manchester Evening News. On Twitter, LFB said: "We want to work with retailers to stop the sale of disposable barbecues and reduce the risk of dangerous grass fires."
Read more: Heatwave could hit Bristol as temperatures rise over weekend
London's Fire Commissioner Andy Roe had written to local councils in the capital to ask for a ban on disposable BBQs. During the heatwave in July, LFB received 8,302 calls and attended 3,231 incidents, including more than 1,000 fires.
Roe said: "Despite our grass fire warnings, we've still seen some people behaving carelessly and recklessly. We need urgent action now to see a national ban on the sale of disposable barbecues.
"They can be bought for as little as £5 and can cause untold damage. Especially when the grass is as dry as it has been over the last few weeks."
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