Wildfire fears prompt call for Dacorum people not to use disposable barbecues as weather heats up

As Dacorum heats up again this week, residents are urged to not use disposable barbecues during the heatwave.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “During the prolonged dry weather, we are asking residents and visitors not to use disposable barbecues in our parks, gardens and open spaces as they could start wildfires.”

They continued: “Where people do use disposable BBQs at home, we recommend that they are placed on bricks if possible rather than on dry grass or decking as just the heat alone can lead to dry areas to combust.

“Once finished, we also advise that the charcoals are cooled using water or sand and left for a sufficient amount of time before disposal to alleviate any risk to the household or neighbouring properties.”

The council says that people who do have barbecues in their gardens should have water, sand or a hose pipe nearby in case of an emergency.

After a spate of fires in the county with two in Dacorum this week, Hertfordshire County Council has advised people to be vigilant and dispose of cigarettes safely.

The council’s website requests people stub out cigarettes in ashtrays and not throw them out of cars as they can easily light dry grass and cause field fires.

People should also avoid stubbing them out on the dry ground, whether in the countryside or a back garden.

The council have asked people to do what they can to prevent such field fires from happening. It said: “Our firefighters are attending an extraordinary amount of calls to fires that have spread out of control.”