Co-op bans sales of item within one mile of UK national parks

This will affect a stores in and near Brecon Beacons National Park on the Herefordshire border, with the park praising the chain.

"Thank you Co-op for stopping sales of disposable BBQs at stores in and close to national parks," it said.

"This helps us to prevent wildfires and protect our countryside, communities, and wildlife from the devastating damage they can cause."

The retailer says it has rolled out the policy to help customers, who will often purchase the instant barbecues on the way to visit these beauty spots, to support the bans.

It is part of Co-op's "Put Me Out" campaign, launched with the help of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, to promote safer use of instant barbecues this summer.

It features on-pack messaging to remind customers of the need to extinguish and dispose of the devices properly, with instructions illustrating the fact water should be used to safely put them out.

Messaging also reinforces rules around instant barbecues only being used in authorised outdoor environments and not in areas that have a public space protection order against them.

Buying director at Co-op, Adele Balmforth, said: "Whilst the majority of consumers use, extinguish, and dispose of instant BBQs safely, and we continue to sell many of them from our stores across the UK, we respect that local decisions to protect the parkland have to be made.

"Where we have stores in, and within a one-mile radius, of a National Park we have removed instant BBQs from sale to help protect the landscape of the communities in which we serve."

Co-op's move follows concerns shared by the NFCC over the number of instant barbecue related fires, both in outdoor spaces and in the home when used on balconies or too close to garden fences and trees.

The NFCC is not calling for a ban of instant barbecues as it could encourage people to use makeshift ones, which can be unpredictable but wants people to be able to enjoy barbecues and urges everyone to use them responsibly.

Of particular concern to fire prevention authorities are the number of outdoor fires sometimes caused by an instant device, which can lead to wildfires and large-scale protracted incidents.

NFCC lead for wildfires, Paul Hedley, said: "We support Co-op's move – adding clear warnings along with simple messaging on how to dispose of these barbecues is an effective way to prevent fires.

"Most people manage to enjoy instant barbecues with no issues but the worrying upward trend in wildfires caused by these devices, cannot be ignored and action has to be taken."