Ban disposable barbecues, shops in Peak District urged after fires

NATIONAL Park officials have asked retailers in and around the Peak District to stop the sale of disposable barbecues following an outbreak of wildfires.

Barbecues have been identified as the cause of two “catastrophic” blazes that raged on moors and parkland in Derbyshire last week.

It comes as experts warn unusually dry moorlands brought about by Britain’s sunniest ever spring have created a “perfect storm of conditions for fires”.

The Peak District National Park has urged more than 160 retailers, ranging from village stores to supermarkets, within the National Park and on its boundaries to cease selling instant barbecues.

Around a dozen businesses confirmed they have complied with the request. Officials in the Peak District added they have contacted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with the aim of widening the scheme to include all of Britain’s 15 national parks.

A spokesman for the Peak District National Park Authority said it was yet to hear back from the Government.

A Defra spokesman told The Telegraph he was not aware of the request but that it would be “looked into”. The spokesman added: “Everyone should follow the Countryside Code and not light fires or use disposable barbecues which can be devastating to people, property and habitats.”

The intervention comes days after firefighters tackled two wildfires in the Peak District, which witnesses claim caused “massive damage” to the countryside. On Saturday, a fire broke out on Bamford Moor, which was so widespread that firefighters and gamekeepers finished dampening down patches of scorched moorland three days later.

Witnesses said the blaze was caused by a discarded barbecue.

On Monday, a large fire erupted at Swineshaw Reservoir near Glossop, which was believed to have been started in the same way. In a statement following the callout, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service warned people: “Our message remains the same – please do not have bbq’s [sic] in the countryside.”

Recent easing of lockdown measures has led to an “associated increase” in the use of disposable barbecues in open areas, according to Peak District officials. The authority has said it feared wildfires could become a “daily occurrence” unless action is taken.

Rules state barbecues are not permitted in areas of open countryside outside of designated areas in the Peak District.

‘Everyone should follow the Countryside Code and not light fires or use disposable barbecues’