Retail and hospitality businesses have ditched disposable barbecues following a spate of major fires and a spate of consumer outrage.
All major supermarkets in Dorset have announced they will stop selling single-use barbecues.
Representatives from Haven and B&Q confirmed to the Echo that they have also withdrawn the items from sale.
The Echo reports there had been a surge in calls to ban single-use barbecues with Litter Free Dorset “redoubled” its campaign.
The announcements come as a fire severity red alert – the highest level possible – has been issued across Dorset.
The extreme temperatures have led to dry conditions which, in turn, produce an ideal atmosphere for fire to spread.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service dealt with 180 outdoor fires in the first 10 days of August, a 429% increase on the same period last year.
Large fires have recently broken out near Blandford, Swanage, Corfe Castle, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester and Bridport, among others.
Dorset Fire Service has thanked retailers who have removed single-use barbecues from their shelves as it urges people to take extra care while the weather remains so dry.
Area manager Marc House said: “We know from the Wareham bushfire in 2020 and numerous other fires, both in our service area and elsewhere in the country, that the misuse of Disposable barbecues can cause devastating fires.
“We have our #BringAPicnicNotABbarbecue campaign, to encourage people to enjoy our beautiful countryside in a fire-safe way, and we thank M&S and the other retailers who have supported the move away from single-use barbecues, already that this helps highlight the risks and encourages safer alternatives.
“We still need everyone to take extra care while they’re out and about: a discarded cigarette, a campfire, even a portable barbecue on a campsite all have the potential to start a fire.”
The decision to ban the sale of single-use barbecues has been welcomed by residents and tourists alike.
Jenna and Manny Day were visiting Weymouth from Oxford and said: “It’s a good idea to have the ban, people are careless and often ruin it for the rest of us.
“We’re on holiday on a farm, after we put the bonfire out it came back on after we left because it’s so dry, luckily the farmer noticed and put it out but we haven’t had it since turned on again.”
Glen McDowell, 54, said he thought the decision was for the best, even though it was caused by “a few careless people”.
He said: “People are understandably not safe with them and leave them unattended – we’ve certainly seen people leave their barbecues on the beach before.
“It’s a shame that so many have been affected by a few careless people, but with how dry it’s better not to take any chances.”
Earlier in the week, Litter Free Dorset redoubled its campaign to stop the sale of single-use barbecues, saying they posed an unquestionable risk to wildlife and public safety.
“Not only do they cause a serious fire risk, which has only increased with the dry and hot weather we are currently experiencing, but they are unsustainable, contribute to deforestation and over a million bought in the UK each year will end up in a landfill or incineration”.