Burnham Considers Barbecue Ban, Addresses Asylum Seeker Distribution Amid Heat

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering a ban on disposable barbecues to prevent wildfires. This consideration follows an emergency Cobra meeting chaired by Burnham on Wednesday in response to extreme heat, wildfires, and drought across the UK.

Burnham stated the government is certainly going to consider a ban, noting that many wildfires have been caused by disposable barbecues. He urged the public to take the greatest possible care in the countryside regarding cigarettes and temporary barbecues. The UK is experiencing its sixth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to reach 38°C on Thursday.

The Met Office issued an amber extreme heat warning for parts of England. Provisional Met Office statistics show the UK's mean temperature for this meteorological summer, from June 1 to August 10, is 16.48°C, which is 1.88°C higher than the 1991-2020 average. The current record of 16.1°C was set last year. Analysis of Home Office figures shows 17 local authorities, many of them rural beauty spots like the Cotswolds and New Forest, currently house no taxpayer-supported asylum seekers.

Glasgow, Hyndbyrn, and Blackburn are among the places supporting the most asylum seekers. Burnham stated that all parts of the country need to play their part. Labour's borders minister, Anna Turley, defended plans to house 1,200 migrants near Piddington, a village with a population of 400. Turley said a fair and equitable system is needed for distributing asylum seekers.

The number of crossings under Burnham's premiership has passed the 3,000 mark. The country faces widespread drought conditions, with 45 million people living in drought-stricken areas and 27 million customers under hosepipe bans. Parts of southern England, including Hampshire and West Sussex, have gone 60 days without rainfall. Fire chiefs have responded to 966 wildfires across England and Wales in 2026, including 185 in the first 10 days of August. An estimated 2,877 people in Britain have died from heat-related causes in 2026, health authorities said in July.