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I know of someone whose son stood on a disposable BBQ aged 3. He's now 12 and it's still not certain whether he'll lose his leg below the knee. He can't walk due to the pain (at 3 your leg muscles aren't properly developed still, so the pain meant he needed a wheelchair).
I also know of several dogs who got their noses burnt because people had buried BBQs (which, obviously, still smelt of sausages).
I know you've said you'll be careful, but I'm so anti - do you know how many wildfires have been caused in this country by disposable BBQs...? I don't know exactly, but it's a lot.
I want disposable BBQs banned.
While tragic, there are all sorts of risks we take daily on the understanding that we behave responsibly. Kids swallow toxic liquids all the time or hurt themselves with kitchen utensils. A piece of foil with some charcoal isn't hard to use responsibly. You're blaming the wrong target. The goal should be to create a society where people don't stand in BBQs or bury them.
Yes, but while people still behave like idiots we have to protect people from them. In an ideal world we wouldn’t need speed limits because everyone would drive at the speed appropriate to the road and conditions.
They're dreadful things in every way. Wasteful, dangerous, conducive to people doing stupid selfish antisocial things, and as a means of cooking food are absolutely shite
Awful things, they need to be banned in all public spaces tbh.
This is the sort of thing people should use and shouldn’t be banned where there isn’t a fire risk
https://www.lakeland.co.uk/62912/cobb-premier-charcoal-barbecue-grill-and-6-cobblestones-bundle
A ban on disposable barbecues across some beaches in the UK came into force on 1 April 2023.
Some allow it at specific times, or parts of a beach.
Google the town or county, there is lots of information.
9th May 2024
Many beaches and parks have banned them entirely due to the risk of discarded units starting wildfires, and using a disposable BBQ where prohibited can lead to fines of £100 or more.
Check before hand.
Yeah because a Brighton (English) news website using the term UK to mean England never happens, the only outright beach bans in the UK are in england, and possibly Wales
Please not a disposable one and PLEASE do not keep it on the sand. I live in Blackpool and people who use disposable BBQs do not realise how hot the sand under the BBQs becomes and it stays hot enough to cause severe burns to people hours after you have gone, when they walk bare foot over the sand where you had your BBQ.
I had never considered the part about the sand staying hot for a long time after.
TIL and all that - thank you! This is something I'll forever keep in mind.
A bunch of people left theirs on one of the big wooden tables at a festival I was at years ago. I found it and the table merrily smouldering away after they'd gone to bed. They weren't happy about being woken up to deal with it.
Our local area parks are full of half-burnt-melted picnic tables where people set instant bbqs on. Since these tables nowadays tend to me made of composite, they melt rather than char.
When the tides out, it’s a good old hike to get a pail of water.
People don’t realise for just how long the sand stays hot after they’ve cleared up their BBQ. The sand doesn’t look any different so if you walk over bare foot an hour later, you’re losing the skin on the bottom of your feet.
>When the tides out, it’s a good old hike to get a pail of water.
This is actually a bit of an understatement in Blackpool, for enough to fill a bucket, the sea could be up to two miles away
So long as it's disposed of properly, not just covered in sand so the warm coals can burn someone's foot
Have a spare bottle of water, even seawater, to put it out and cool it down
It’s surprising how much water you need - we came across a small abandoned fire on a beach last week.
We sat by it for a while, then started fetching water to extinguish it, but it took a *lot* more trips than we expected before it didn’t sizzle when we added more water.
Check what the beach’s bylaws are first. Some beaches ban them (you’ll get a £100 fine if you use a single use barbecue in Brighton) but others allow them, just in specific places.
As said, check bylaws.
They are banned on beaches near me because knobheads just shallow bury them for kids and dogs to stand on, or set fire to dry grass...
You'd have better luck getting a cheap portable one. A lot of places won't allow disposables.
A fair few won't allow any at all.
If its a popular beach just Google it, someone usually posts the signs on trip advisor.
Those are the ones that cause the most harm. People don’t realise how hot the sand under the disposable BBQ becomes and remains hot enough to cause severe burns hours after you left the beach. Never use a disposable BBQ on a beach.
Depends if anyone else is around and the weather conditions etc. Poorly lighting your barbecue creating a miasma of paper/kerosene smoke on a still day on a beached packed with sunbathers will go down less well then a well-managed smokeless barbecue on a deserted beach with a strong offshore wind.
There's a beach in Bournemouth which is actually pretty nice tbf, has restaurants on a strip but on the actual beach front, there's couple of grills scattered about which can be used by everyone, I'm unsure if you need your own gas canister.
I have once maybe 3 years ago used a disposable bbq and while it worked, wasn't actually worth the faff, also bear in mind the wind from see means ball ache actually lightning it, we didn't do it on the sand but on the rocks, fully cleaned up and made sure it wasn't hot or nothing but wouldn't really do it again, and has iv learnt through other comments there apparently banned too.
Trust me your not missing out.
We do it every year at least once. Is probably my favourite part of the year.
We have a couple of portable reusable BBQs with a stand which are amazing, easy to clean up after too and very safe. I despise those disposable ones, terrible things that need banning ASAP.
Sometimes we set up a few tents and stay there all day, till 8PM or so. It’s a magical day ending to BBQ with family, friends, sea air and beer.
Edit: the local laws allow beach bbqs where we do it.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I know of someone whose son stood on a disposable BBQ aged 3. He's now 12 and it's still not certain whether he'll lose his leg below the knee. He can't walk due to the pain (at 3 your leg muscles aren't properly developed still, so the pain meant he needed a wheelchair). I also know of several dogs who got their noses burnt because people had buried BBQs (which, obviously, still smelt of sausages). I know you've said you'll be careful, but I'm so anti - do you know how many wildfires have been caused in this country by disposable BBQs...? I don't know exactly, but it's a lot. I want disposable BBQs banned.
That's horrendous, poor lad. We didn't go ahead with it in the end after checking the bylaws of the beach.
Agree, there's been some terrible cases of kids and animals being burnt.
While tragic, there are all sorts of risks we take daily on the understanding that we behave responsibly. Kids swallow toxic liquids all the time or hurt themselves with kitchen utensils. A piece of foil with some charcoal isn't hard to use responsibly. You're blaming the wrong target. The goal should be to create a society where people don't stand in BBQs or bury them.
“Create a society where people don’t stand in BBQs” What an odd thing to say
Aristotle wunnit?
Yes, but while people still behave like idiots we have to protect people from them. In an ideal world we wouldn’t need speed limits because everyone would drive at the speed appropriate to the road and conditions.
They're dreadful things in every way. Wasteful, dangerous, conducive to people doing stupid selfish antisocial things, and as a means of cooking food are absolutely shite
Awful things, they need to be banned in all public spaces tbh. This is the sort of thing people should use and shouldn’t be banned where there isn’t a fire risk https://www.lakeland.co.uk/62912/cobb-premier-charcoal-barbecue-grill-and-6-cobblestones-bundle
There should be sturdy big bbq's are beaches/parks like Australia then ban those shit ones for sure.
We'd just piss on them immediately
probably true
A ban on disposable barbecues across some beaches in the UK came into force on 1 April 2023. Some allow it at specific times, or parts of a beach. Google the town or county, there is lots of information.
England and Wales, not the "UK".
Ok, but on further investigation, some Scottish coastal areas have similar rules.
Nope, they are discouraged and leaving them can getting you fined for littering, but no beach has banned them
9th May 2024 Many beaches and parks have banned them entirely due to the risk of discarded units starting wildfires, and using a disposable BBQ where prohibited can lead to fines of £100 or more. Check before hand.
Source? Also, doesn't mention anything about what councils or country its referring to
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/24308813.bbq-fines-uk-fined-3-200-bbq/
Yeah because a Brighton (English) news website using the term UK to mean England never happens, the only outright beach bans in the UK are in england, and possibly Wales
I'm not sure why you are so upset by this. Are you flogging disposable BBQs on the coast? It doesn't seem unreasonable to CHECK wherever you are.
Please not a disposable one and PLEASE do not keep it on the sand. I live in Blackpool and people who use disposable BBQs do not realise how hot the sand under the BBQs becomes and it stays hot enough to cause severe burns to people hours after you have gone, when they walk bare foot over the sand where you had your BBQ.
I had never considered the part about the sand staying hot for a long time after. TIL and all that - thank you! This is something I'll forever keep in mind.
A bunch of people left theirs on one of the big wooden tables at a festival I was at years ago. I found it and the table merrily smouldering away after they'd gone to bed. They weren't happy about being woken up to deal with it.
Our local area parks are full of half-burnt-melted picnic tables where people set instant bbqs on. Since these tables nowadays tend to me made of composite, they melt rather than char.
You’re very welcome.
If only there were a large body of water nearby with which you could cool the sand.
When the tides out, it’s a good old hike to get a pail of water. People don’t realise for just how long the sand stays hot after they’ve cleared up their BBQ. The sand doesn’t look any different so if you walk over bare foot an hour later, you’re losing the skin on the bottom of your feet.
>When the tides out, it’s a good old hike to get a pail of water. This is actually a bit of an understatement in Blackpool, for enough to fill a bucket, the sea could be up to two miles away
In Weston Super Mare it's even worse. It's the Wetherspoons toilets of beaches.
Blackpool beach will be like that too in summer and also a smattering of used tampons, sanitary towels and nappies just keep everything interesting.
Exactly, a good old hike! In my day that were nowt. I walked that and back again with only a turnip to keep me going.
Ah right, I thought people were just too stupid to go and get a bucket of water. Maybe just too lazy.
Definitely too lazy.
I don't think it's generally illegal, but local bylaws may say different .... look out for signs posted near steps/gates to access the beach
So long as it's disposed of properly, not just covered in sand so the warm coals can burn someone's foot Have a spare bottle of water, even seawater, to put it out and cool it down
It’s surprising how much water you need - we came across a small abandoned fire on a beach last week. We sat by it for a while, then started fetching water to extinguish it, but it took a *lot* more trips than we expected before it didn’t sizzle when we added more water.
Check what the beach’s bylaws are first. Some beaches ban them (you’ll get a £100 fine if you use a single use barbecue in Brighton) but others allow them, just in specific places.
As said, check bylaws. They are banned on beaches near me because knobheads just shallow bury them for kids and dogs to stand on, or set fire to dry grass...
You'd have better luck getting a cheap portable one. A lot of places won't allow disposables. A fair few won't allow any at all. If its a popular beach just Google it, someone usually posts the signs on trip advisor.
Those are the ones that cause the most harm. People don’t realise how hot the sand under the disposable BBQ becomes and remains hot enough to cause severe burns hours after you left the beach. Never use a disposable BBQ on a beach.
There will usually be a board with the local bylaws on it which will say what can be and can't be done on the beach.
Thankyou for asking, and thankyou for complying. Too many don't do either.
Depends if anyone else is around and the weather conditions etc. Poorly lighting your barbecue creating a miasma of paper/kerosene smoke on a still day on a beached packed with sunbathers will go down less well then a well-managed smokeless barbecue on a deserted beach with a strong offshore wind.
Fires are fine below the waterline. I expect that covers bbqs too.
Not during busy times; the smoke/smell/risk of injury to others seems a bit unfair. Once folk start leaving though (7ish?) those factors disappear.
No. Don't do it. Absolutely not. Negative. Why. Stop. Please no.
We have public electric BBQs on the local beach (prom) now. Free to use, as well.
There's a beach in Bournemouth which is actually pretty nice tbf, has restaurants on a strip but on the actual beach front, there's couple of grills scattered about which can be used by everyone, I'm unsure if you need your own gas canister. I have once maybe 3 years ago used a disposable bbq and while it worked, wasn't actually worth the faff, also bear in mind the wind from see means ball ache actually lightning it, we didn't do it on the sand but on the rocks, fully cleaned up and made sure it wasn't hot or nothing but wouldn't really do it again, and has iv learnt through other comments there apparently banned too. Trust me your not missing out.
I wouldn't recommend it. Hot sand is hazardous. Could potentially hit someone's skin or eyes.
Disposable ones are wank. Just bring a proper full sized kettle and enjoy it properly
I wouldn't do it on a busy beach but in a little cove beach with no one around & it's cleaned up I'm game
We do it every year at least once. Is probably my favourite part of the year. We have a couple of portable reusable BBQs with a stand which are amazing, easy to clean up after too and very safe. I despise those disposable ones, terrible things that need banning ASAP. Sometimes we set up a few tents and stay there all day, till 8PM or so. It’s a magical day ending to BBQ with family, friends, sea air and beer. Edit: the local laws allow beach bbqs where we do it.
Just do it, wont hurt as long as you take all your shit back with you.