‘It’s clearly insane to take a disposable BBQ onto dry grass’: Boris Johnson calls for Britons to ‘behave responsibly’ 24 hours after fires raged across UK in record 40.3C heatwave
- The Prime Minister was asked if he would ban disposable barbecues forever
- Came after 40.3C heatwave ravaged the UK and fires broke out wrecking homes
- The outgoing PM did not as go as far as a ban but said using them was ‘insane’
Boris Johnson branded people who took disposable barbecues onto dry grass ‘clearly insane’ today as he was asked to ban the portable foil cookers.
The outgoing Prime Minister, 58, marked his final Prime Minister’s Questions with a warning on safety 24 hours after the UK’s record 40.3C heatwave.
He was asked by Green MP Caroline Noakes if he would ban them after the flurry of fires that raged during the heatwave.
But he stopped short of doing that, instead insisting: ‘People should behave responsibly with the use of these things and it’s clearly insane to take a disposable barbecue onto dry grass.’
Horrific fires swept through homes last night as Britain recorded the hottest day in its history, with the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time.
Boris Johnson was appearing at Prime Minister’s Questions for the very last time in his term
An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day, on July 20, 2022 in Wennington, Greater London
The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.
At least 16 London firefighters were injured, including two taken to hospital with heat-exhaustion, according to officials. A further four firefighters were taken to hospital as they tackled a series of incidents in South Yorkshire. They have since made a full recovery.
Extremely dry ground and searing temperatures created the perfect ‘tinderbox’ conditions for blazes to break out across the country with major incidents declared in London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire. Scotland and Wales also saw fires.
DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehicles
Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter’s Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno
Mr Johnson appeared to be in chime for what could have been the first time with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Mr Khan had told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Yesterday was the biggest day for the fire service in London since the second world war.
‘A number of these fires are grass fires, the problem is we have not had rain for a month for the entire month of July in London, the grass is like hay which means its easier to catch fire, once it catches fire it spreads incredibly fast like wildfires, like you see in movies or in California or in France.
‘My advice today is again not to have barbecues, of course not on balconies, of course not in parks, nor in your private garden.
‘The advice today is definitely no barbecues. What we do know from yesterday is also a combination of glass and bottles in the park magnifying rays leading to flames beginning and spreading incredibly fast.
‘So the advice today while the glass is incredibly dry like tinder, no barbecues please.’
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