UK retailers ordered to halt disposable barbecue sales

UK retailers have been ordered to stop selling disposable barbecues in stores and online due to extreme heat, drought, and heightened wildfire risk across Great Britain. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued statutory guidance on August 14 requiring retailers and other distributors to take the risks associated with disposable barbecues into account under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

The guidance states that disposable barbecues “must not be made available for sale either in store or online at the current time”. This measure applies while prevailing weather and environmental conditions create an increased risk of fires.

Retailers must withdraw products designed for single outdoor use, including those sold through physical stores and online channels. Online marketplaces are also covered where they act as distributors under the General Product Safety Regulations.

Under the regulations, distributors must exercise due care to ensure that only safe products are supplied and must not make products available where they know, or should reasonably know, that they present a danger. The guidance says retailers should take appropriate action to remove the risk posed by disposable barbecues, including withdrawing them from sale.

OPSS and local authority Trading Standards are responsible for enforcing product-safety requirements. Retailers may therefore need to cooperate with enforcement authorities and provide information about affected products where required.

The government intervention follows voluntary guidance issued by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which encouraged retailers to take a risk-based approach to disposable barbecue sales during periods of heightened fire risk. The BRC guidance advised retailers to consider removing disposable barbecues from sale when extreme heat was imminent.

The new statutory guidance replaces that risk-based approach with a requirement that disposable barbecues must not currently be made available for sale. It follows a series of wildfires during the summer, with the government saying disposable barbecues have caused a number of serious incidents.

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For people living in areas prone to wildfires, the ban on disposable barbecues may provide some relief, as it reduces the risk of accidental fires. However, it also means that retailers will need to find alternative products to sell, which could impact their businesses. The ban may also lead to increased awareness about inflation and the importance of taking precautions during periods of high fire risk.

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has sought clarification from OPSS over how long the restrictions are expected to remain in place and when they will be reviewed. The statutory requirements apply across England, Scotland, and Wales, and the government has also advised businesses in Northern Ireland to follow the guidance.

OPSS said the guidance will be reviewed as weather conditions change and withdrawn when environmental conditions have reduced the risk sufficiently. Until the guidance is withdrawn, retailers in Great Britain must keep disposable barbecues off sale across physical and online channels.

Retailers will need to wait for further guidance from OPSS before they can resume selling disposable barbecues. They will need to stay informed about any changes to the guidance and adjust their sales accordingly.

It is a single step.

The government has stated that the restrictions will remain under review. They will be withdrawn when weather and environmental conditions have reduced the risk sufficiently.