Burnham brings in military and bans disposable barbecues in ‘tinderbox’ Britain

PM temporarily bans barbecue sales as 19 people are taken to hospital during fires in West Midlands Downing Street has issued a temporary GB-wide ban on the sale of disposable barbecues and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires as Andy Burnham urged people not to risk lives in “tinderbox” Britain this weekend. The prime minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been taken to hospital during eight fires that have ripped through several homes. He said it was necessary to bring in a temporary ban on disposable barbecues from today, asking retailers to withdraw them from sale, as he spoke of the “absolutely devastating” wildfires. “Please think about the situation we are in,” he said. “Britain is a tinderbox right now. Setting a fire in any outdoor setting is a risk to people’s homes and other people’s lives.” He said not all of the 37 fires across Britain had been caused by barbecues but it was “probable” that some of them had been. Advice published online by the government said that single-use grills had “been the cause of a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months. “Dispo