Dorset MP calls to ban BBQs following recent wildfires

A local MP is campaigning for wildfire prevention and more support for Dorset’s fire services. As part of that campaign, she is calling for a ban on disposable barbeques.

Following two devastating fires at Upton Heath and Canford Heath, which destroyed over 70 football pitches worth of protected heathland in a single night, Vikki Slade has stepped up her campaign. She has raised the issue in Parliament and met with fire officials at Upton Heath.

Speaking in Westminster, the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole said: “In the last few weeks, Dorset has been ravaged by wildfires. Across Upton Heath and Canford Heath more than 130 acres are gone. As part of the response to these tragedies, I have continually been blown away by the work of the fire crews from Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“There needs to be an urgent review of funding for emergency services to ensure that they are consistently able to protect us in the face of climate change and to ensure that they are able to carry out their important work to safeguard and protect the public.”