SUPERMARKETS have stopped selling disposable barbecues in a bid to help prevent fires from spreading in ‘tinderbox’ conditions.
M&S has taken its barbecues off the shelves for the foreseeable future after Jersey Fire and Rescue Service warned that the incorrect disposal of such items created the potential for wildfires.
David Lavington, head of food for M&S Jersey, said: ‘We’re pleased to be able to support the Island to make our beaches and surrounding areas safer, so we’re honouring the UK-wide pledge by M&S to remove the sale of all disposable barbecues during this year’s heatwave.’
He added: ‘They’re normally very popular in our stores and are safe if they’re used correctly but we’re pleased to help by taking this added precaution.’
Waitrose stopped selling the products at the start of the summer, before the current heatwave began, in an effort to protect the environment.
Waitrose Red Houses branch manager Marion Gorrod said: ‘We withdrew them from sale over a month ago for ecological reasons because they are not good for the environment.
‘Previously, they were very popular at this store, particularly because we are so near the beach.’
This week, Jersey Fire and Rescue Service has been urging the public to take extra care when disposing of their rubbish, particularly barbecues, near beaches and parched grassland to avoid sparking a fire as temperatures soar.
A spokesperson for the service said the blaze at La Pulente last weekend tore through the furze which was ‘like a tinderbox’ and could have developed into one of the biggest fires seen in the Island in recent years.
There have been urgent calls from Jersey Water for everyone in the Island to save water in any way they can – such as not washing their cars, having short showers rather than baths and not using a hosepipe to water the garden – as levels in reservoirs continue to fall.
In the UK, hosepipe bans are already in place and there is a drive to recruit more firefighters to tackle the wildfires which are expected while the heatwave continues.
