Greater Manchester has most BBQ-related fires in UK, survey finds

Freedom of information request reveals county saw emergency services call-outs rise 80 percent in one year

Freedom of information requests reveal that Greater Manchester has highest number of BBQ-related fire service callouts in the UK (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Greater Manchester has the most BBQ-related fires in the UK, a new poll has suggested.

Emergency crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to 121 callouts involving BBQs in 2018, a rise of 80 percent over the previous year.

This was almost twice as many as London, which was the second busiest area, with 70 fires recorded as BBQ-related.

South Yorkshire, Surrey and West Yorkshire made up the top five busiest areas.

The figures were revealed following a freedom of information (FOI) request by Swinton Insurance.

The 45 fire authorities which responded to the FOI request attended 917 barbecue-related callouts in 2018 – an increase of 28 per cent on the 717 callouts in 2017.

“Summer appears to have finally arrived and Brits will be loving the idea of enjoying a BBQ in the sun,” said Swinton Insurance’s Angela Bowden.

“But not following the correct BBQ etiquette can have costly repercussions with no shortage of horror stories about fires in gardens, houses and beauty spots.”

Earlier this year, more than 700 acres of National Trust moorland in West Yorkshire were destroyed in a fire started by a BBQ at a popular picnic spot.

The moorland fires this year and in 2018 have resulted in some councils banning BBQs in certain areas.

In June, 20 flats were destroyed and 10 were damaged when a blaze tore through an apartment block in Barking, London, with builders blaming the fire on a BBQ on a resident’s wooden balcony.

And last year, in Peterborough, an incorrectly discarded BBQ burned down a shed, part of a conservatory and melted house guttering.

On top of fires, crews also have to respond to incidents where people have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning by cooking on BBQs in tents or indoors.

“It is likely that last year’s hot summer was a factor in the increase of BBQ-related calls made to UK fire services,” said Neil Odin, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council Prevention Committee.

“I would urge anyone who is having a BBQ to follow simple, basic rules to ensure they stay safe.”

SWNS