Ahead of this bank holiday weekend, Litter Free Dorset is asking shops across the county to remove disposable barbecues from sale.

Over one million disposable barbecues were sold in the UK last year. In May last year, it only took a couple of barbecues to burn down an area the size of over 200 football pitches in Wareham Forest. Disposable barbecues are often disposed of inappropriately, sometimes without being put out properly, which frequently results in wildfire, with devastating environmental impacts.

In Dorset, we average 400 outdoor grass related fires on heathlands and forests every year. Fires on heathland destroy wildlife, are a risk to the surrounding community and contribute to climate change.

The #ChooseToRemoveDisposableBBQs campaign is part of Dorset Council’s efforts to reduce wildfire across Dorset. This year, Dorset Council is banning disposable barbecues and campfires from high fire risk areas across Dorset. A joint campaign with other local authorities, organisations and landowners is being developed to communicate to visitors and residents where they are not allowed to have barbecues and campfires this summer.

Litter Free Dorset is working with a large number local communities and businesses to ensure the success of this campaign. They have already had conversations with local shops as well as large supermarket chains such as Tesco’s, Co-op, Waitrose and Sainsburys.

Sophie Colley from Litter Free Dorset said: “A huge thank you goes to the businesses that have already taken it upon themselves to stop selling disposable barbecues altogether. If you are still selling disposable barbecues please reconsider removing them and displaying safety messaging next to any other barbecues related items.”

If you are a business that is choosing to not sell disposable barbecues this year, please email: litterfreedorset@gmail.com and download a poster to display in your shop. Your business will be added to a growing list of local businesses choosing to remove disposable BBQs from sale in Dorset.

If you are selling other BBQ related items such as charcoal, there are posters and flyers with safety advice for customers. These are available via the Litter Free Dorset website.

If you have spotted a shop selling disposable barbecues, take a look at the Litter Free Dorset website for handy resources, including a letter to businesses, a Wareham Forest Fire infographic and poster to share with your local shops to encourage them to #ChooseToRemoveDisposableBBQs.