‘Our Firefighters Cannot Keep Doing This’: Margaret Mullane MP Backs Call To Stop Disposable BBQ Sales
Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane has thrown her full support behind calls for retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues as firefighters across Havering and neighbouring Barking and Dagenham continue to face a relentless battle against grass and wildfires.
The scale of the problem has been enormous.
During one week alone, Havering recorded 47 grass fires — the highest number of any London borough — while neighbouring Barking and Dagenham recorded a further 16.
And Rainham has been at the heart of the firefighting effort.
On one major incident on Ingrebourne Hill, around 70 firefighters and ten fire engines were deployed, with approximately ten hectares of grassland damaged and around 35 residents evacuated as a precaution.
Another fire on Launders Lane saw eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters working through the night to tackle burning waste. Crews from Wennington, Hornchurch and Dagenham were among those mobilised.
For firefighters, the summer has become an exhausting cycle of responding to one serious outdoor fire after another.
And Margaret is standing firmly behind them.
The Dagenham and Rainham MP has been working closely with firefighters and has praised the work being carried out by the London Fire Brigade, while supporting calls for retailers to remove disposable barbecues from sale during these exceptionally dry conditions.
Margaret told the Haverung Daily:
“We need to get a grip on tackling the wildfires have been devastating us in my Dagenham and Rainham constituency, as well as across other areas of Havering and up and down the nation during the repeated heatwaves.
Derbyshire Labour MP, Jon Pearce, has called on retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues due to the risk of starting wildfires and I join him in this action.
I am giving my full support to London Fire Brigade’s Borough Commander and local firefighters for their outstanding work; they are putting themselves and their wellbeing at risk due to the thoughtlessness of others.”
Her intervention comes as the debate over disposable barbecues intensifies nationally.
London Fire Brigade itself warns that disposable barbecues can cause grass fires, particularly during hot weather when the ground is dry, and has urged people not to use them in parks and open spaces.
For residents across Rainham and Dagenham, the issue is particularly close to home.
They have watched huge areas of grassland go up in flames, while firefighters have been forced to work in extremely hot and arduous conditions to prevent fires spreading further.
The Brigade has described firefighters working in such conditions to bring major Rainham fires under control, while warning residents about significant smoke and asking them to keep windows and doors closed where possible.
Margaret’s message is therefore not simply about restricting a product.
It is about protecting firefighters, protecting communities and preventing avoidable fires in the first place.
No one is suggesting that disposable barbecues are responsible for every fire across Havering or Dagenham. The causes of individual fires must be established through proper investigation.
But during prolonged hot and dry weather, firefighters have repeatedly warned about the additional risks posed by disposable barbecues, cigarettes and other sources of ignition.
And the consequences of one mistake can be enormous.
A small flame can quickly become a major grass fire when vegetation is tinder dry.
For Margaret Mullane, supporting the firefighters who then have to tackle those blazes is a priority.
As crews continue to respond to incident after incident across the borough, her backing for the call to stop selling disposable barbecues sends a clear message:
Our firefighters should not be forced to repeatedly put themselves at risk tackling fires that could potentially have been prevented.
And with Rainham and Dagenham already among the areas experiencing a significant number of grass fires this summer, Margaret says it is time to take every sensible step possible to reduce the risk.
The firefighters will keep turning out.
Margaret says everyone else has a responsibility to help prevent the next call.
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