Disposable BBQ and Campfire/Wildfire Policy

With increased temperatures during the summer months there is an increased risk of wildfires. 

The better weather means that more people are spending more time eating outdoors and with the price and availability of disposable BBQ’s it has meant that there has been a huge increase in their use. 

This has led to a significant increase in fire related to disposable BBQ's in Dorset. 

Also there has been an increase in wild camping, especially in relation to COVID-19 with more people visiting Dorset that would have previously gone abroad. 

Wild camping can mean that there is more chance of campfires and cooking outdoors. 

The risks from disposable BBQ’s not being disposed of correctly and campfires/wildfires not being extinguished correctly include:

• fire risk to properties and infrastructure near places that are considered high risk e.g. visitor centres and heathlands
• risk to life from wildfire
• risk to staff that’s not necessarily life threatening, such as burns and smoke inhalation
• risks to rescue services when having to deal with wildfires
• fire risk damaging habitats and species 
• risks to livestock and animal health through fire risk
• impacts on the environment e.g.  littering on land, discarded coals in the soil and in lakes  Impact to other users of the sites, such as the smoke generated by BBQs

The UK Government currently has no policy on disposable BBQ’s and campfires although there is mounting pressure from others for such bans to be put in place.    

July 2020 Rebecca Pow (Conservative) stated “There are existing powers in legislation which can be used by authorities to regulate and prohibit the lighting of fires on Access Land in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks.

Current ‘Byelaw’ legislation allows for local authorities to restrict and enforce the use of disposable barbecues in parks and public spaces. 

The Government has no plans for additional legislative proposals to introduce a seasonal ban on the use of disposable barbecues……an updated Countryside Code which advises not to have barbecues or fires is being produced”.

There have been questions in the House of Commons in relation to this issue.

There is mounting pressure from others for such bans to be put in place – Although not a council this campaign did involve the council but was a partnership brought together by the Peak District National Park.  By working together, they promoted a key message against BBQ’s in the forest and many retailers stopped selling disposable BBQ’s as a result.

The main challenge of introducing this policy is the issue of enforcement.

While enforcement can be difficult having a clear policy means that there is a clear and consistent message from Dorset Council that can be cited by the staff working at any of the DC locations. 

This greatly helps with enforcing this policy and provides the backing from DC to approach members of the public who are not adhering to or aware of the rules. 

While not all members of the public will adhere to the new policy it is suspected that it will help to reduce the number of incidents.

Effective communications around the policy and visible signage will help overcome any challenges. Community engagement will be key so that residents can act as messengers to communicate the ban to wider audiences within and outside Dorset.

Items and activities included in this policy:

• the use of disposable BBQ’s 
• the lighting and campfires/wildfires

This Council prohibits the use of a disposable BBQ and the lighting of campfires or wildfires on Dorset Council land including their three Country Parks (CP). These include:

• Moors Valley CP
• Durlston CP
• Avon Health CP 
• Thorncombe Woods.  
• all other Dorset Council areas deemed at high fire risk – these areas are related to heathland, meadowland, uncut grassland or areas where there is evidence of fire risk

Criteria for deciding if a site should allow/ban disposable BBQ and campfires/wildfires:

• habitat type – is the habitat susceptible to wildfire? (Example; heathland, grassed sand dunes, long meadow grassland would be considered at risk. Amenity grassland, beach, would be low risk)
• have there been any incidents of wildfire within the past 5 years?
• is the site vulnerable to antisocial behaviour?
• is there good emergency access onto the site?
• what is the fuel load like? (is the vegetation dense/thick without any fuel breaks, are the species highly flammable? example, gorse)
• is there any contamination on site that would increase risk (example: old landfill site)?
• neighbouring land use should be considered. Does it increase the risk? example, fuel station

Litter and waste - Additionally this policy will help with litter issues associated with disposable BBQ’s that are not disposed of responsibly as well as reduce the amount of waste in public bins.

Monitoring, Assessment and Review - The Council will have clear signage and messaging at each site and be available on the DC website, and associated CP websites, relating to the prohibited use of disposable BBQ’s and the lighting of campfires/wildfires.  They will inform any group event taking place on DC land, by including relevant information within booking forms and on other promotional materials.  

Communications - A communications plan will be formulated and implemented to call for the ban of disposable BBQ’s and lighting of camp and wildfires on our land as well as by other landowners across Dorset.  It will promote safe alternative activities for the public.

Partnerships hosted by Dorset Council such as Litter Free Dorset will encourage businesses to stop selling disposable BBQs and use community groups to spread the message of the ban to wider audiences. 

Review - This Policy will be reviewed each year via an internal audit. 

This policy was last reviewed in 2021.

The next expected review date is 2025.