Shops here must stop selling disposable barbecues after the government acted on 14 August. Staffordshire fought 600 outdoor fires in July, double last year.

Shops in Stafford and Stone must take disposable barbecues off the shelves.

The government published statutory guidelines on 14 August telling retailers across Great Britain that the product cannot be treated as safe in the current drought and heat. Staffordshire trading standards wrote to retailers on 18 August to spell out what that means locally: stop selling them, in store and online, until the guidelines are lifted.

The reason is on the borough’s southern doorstep. A disposable barbecue started a heathland fire in Sherbrook Valley on Cannock Chase at the end of July, and the fire service has been running at close to capacity ever since.

What the rules actually say

The guidelines were made by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade under regulation 6(3)(c) of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. They do not create a new offence. They change what counts as a safe product, and selling an unsafe product is already unlawful.

  • What is covered: any barbecue “designed for domestic single-use only, outdoors, not intended for re-filling or reuse”, comprising a fuel tray, grill grid and enough charcoal for one cooking session.
  • Where: in store and online, including online marketplaces acting as distributors.
  • Who enforces: the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and local authority trading standards. In this borough that is Staffordshire County Council.
  • Penalties: enforcement authorities can require recalls, suspend supply, order warnings to customers and prosecute. Conviction can bring a fine, a prison sentence, or both.
  • How long: the guidelines stay “under review”, and will be withdrawn “as weather conditions change sufficiently to significantly reduce the risks”. They had not been withdrawn as of 22 August.

The ban is on supply, not on owning or using one you already have. That distinction matters less than it sounds on Cannock Chase, where disposable barbecues were already banned before any of this.

Anthony Screen, cabinet member for community safety and resilience at Staffordshire County Council, said the temporary ban “will help reduce the risk of wildfires, protect our communities and safeguard our local environment until conditions improve”.

How Staffordshire got here

Timeline of the Staffordshire wildfire summer and the disposable barbecue ban, April to August 2026 Seven dated events. On 29 April the county council asked visitors not to use barbecues in its country parks. On 31 July a disposable barbecue started a heathland fire at Sherbrook Valley on Cannock Chase and Chase Road was closed. On 5 August the fire service reported 600 outdoor fires in July, double a year earlier. On 6 August a second Cannock Chase fire was contained, with 15 crews at its height. On 13 August crews tackled a third fire in three days at Park Hall Country Park. On 14 August the government banned the supply of disposable barbecues and six firefighters were taken to hospital. On 18 August Staffordshire trading standards told shops to clear the shelves. Four months that led to a shop-shelf ban Staffordshire, April to August 2026. Every date below is sourced in the article. 29 April Council asks visitors not to use barbecues in its country parks 31 July Disposable barbecue starts Sherbrook Valley fire; Chase Road shut 5 August Fire service reports 600 outdoor fires in July, double a year earlier 6 August Second Cannock Chase fire contained; 15 crews at its height 13 August Third fire in three days at Park Hall Country Park 14 August Government bans supply of disposable barbecues Six firefighters taken to hospital after the previous night's fires 18 August Staffordshire trading standards tells shops to clear the shelves Sources: Staffordshire County Council newsroom; Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service; GOV.UK. Graphic by The Stafford Times.
The Staffordshire events behind a national decision.

The Sherbrook Valley fire

On 31 July the county council closed Chase Road, from the Camp Road turning to Brocton Nursery, after a fire burned an area of heathland about the size of a football pitch at Sherbrook Valley. The closure was to stop smouldering ground reigniting, and was reviewed on Monday 3 August. The council said the cause was a disposable barbecue, which is already banned on the Chase.

Hayley Coles, deputy leader and cabinet member for communities and culture, said: “Please stop bringing barbecues onto the Chase. This is the devastation they can cause.”

Rich Williams, a group manager at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It is absolutely crucial that people adhere to this ban, as incidents like this place significant demand on resources during an already very busy period.”

A second fire followed within a week. At its height on 5 August, 15 crews worked to surround it and stop it spreading, and residents were asked to close windows and doors. The council said the second blaze killed wildlife.

A fire service at its limit

The numbers behind the ban are Staffordshire’s own.

  • 600 outdoor fires in July, an average of 20 a day, and almost double the same month a year earlier.
  • Around 30 outdoor fires over the Easter weekend alone, which is what prompted the council’s first appeal back in April.
  • Six firefighters taken to hospital after the fires of Thursday 13 August, with smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. Five were discharged; the sixth was still recovering when the service issued its appeal.
  • Three people arrested in connection with a series of recent fires, with investigations continuing.

Martin Weaver, head of operations at the fire service, called the July figure “shocking”. Chief Fire Officer Glynn Luznyj said crews had worked through the night of 13 August and that “our resources are extremely stretched at the moment”.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Jim Bywater welcomed the national ban. He said disposable barbecues “are one of the biggest outdoor fire risks”, and that they “can rapidly spread out of control and can ignite the ground easily”.

The pressure was not only local. The government sent an emergency alert to phones across England and Wales at about 7pm on 14 August, the same day the guidelines were published, and deployed 200 armed forces personnel to support the wildfire response.

What it means for you

  • You cannot buy one right now. If a shop in Stafford or Stone still has them out, it is not complying. Trading standards is the county council.
  • The Chase rules have not changed, they have just been reinforced. Disposable barbecues, open fires and camping stoves or gas burners are banned on Cannock Chase outside designated areas, and were before the national guidelines.
  • If you already own one, do not use it outdoors in this weather. The government’s reasoning is about foreseeable use during drought, not about the shelf it sits on.
  • If you see smoke or fire on open land, call 999. The county council asks people not to approach it.
  • Planning a day out on the Chase from Stafford, Milford or Brocton? Our things to do in Stafford page covers the rest of it, and the roadworks and travel page tracks live closures on the routes south.

Sources