Candlelight holiday home ban ‘bonkers’

A BAN on guests in holiday rentals having dinners by candlelight or relaxing in a bath with tea lights has been blasted as “absolutely bonkers”.

Home Office guidance says people in self-catering accommodation should not be provided with candles and “there should be a policy in place prohibiting their use”.

The document has sparked outrage, with critics saying adults should be trusted to enjoy a “romantic getaway without burning down the house”.

The advice covers small bed and breakfasts, houses, cottages and chalets where a maximum of 10 can sleep, plus flats.

The file says its principles can also be applied to “caravans, camping and glamping pods, bothies, lodges, shepherds’ huts, tents, tree houses and yurts”.

It states: “Candles and tea lights are a common cause of fires and, sometimes, fatalities. You should not provide candles, tea lights or ethanol burners, and there should be a policy in place prohibiting their use.”

Senior Tory MP Sir Mike Penning described the guidance as “absolutely bonkers”.

He added: “As a former firefighter and fire minister I can’t understand how a civil servant is lecturing me about a candlelit dinner with my wife.

“It’s pathetic – just let people use their common sense.”

And Matthew Lesh, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Adults can be trusted to have a romantic getaway without burning down the house.”

The Home Office said: “Our guidance provides practical advice to help short-term let owners take their own reasonable fire precautions.”