High Peak MP Jon Pearce is calling on major UK retailers to suspend the sale of disposable barbecues after a summer of devastating wildfires, including the Dove stone blaze on moorland near the Saddleworth and Tameside border.

The Dove stone fire saw firefighters battle for several days to bring it under control, causing significant damage to the landscape and requiring a major emergency response.

Mr Pearce has written to retailers urging them to remove disposable barbecues from sale online and in stores, following a successful local campaign in High Peak where several retailers agreed to stop selling them.

Since his campaign began last week, Co-op and Sainsbury's have confirmed they will remove disposable barbecues from sale. They join retailers including Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and M&S, which have not sold them since 2022.

This year, Morrisons, Tesco and Home Bargains also agreed not to stock disposable barbecues in their High Peak stores following pressure from the MP.

Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah has demanded that Co-op bans the sale of disposable barbecues from its Saddleworth stores, as the devices have been blamed for causing several moorland fires in the area during summer and dry periods.

Jon Pearce said the campaign in High Peak has shown that retailers are willing to act, and it is time for retailers across the country to do the same. He added that taking disposable barbecues off the shelves can help reduce the risk of preventable fires this summer, and he will continue campaigning for the Government to introduce a ban on their use in public spaces.

Mr Pearce stated that the climate has already changed, with hotter, drier summers meaning more must be done to adapt and make communities, countryside and emergency services more resilient to the risks already facing.

The campaign follows wildfires across the UK and Europe, including fires in North Wales, Scotland, France and Spain. A recent blaze in Suffolk spread across an area equivalent to around 210 football pitches in just 24 hours.

The High Peak MP is now calling on retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland, B&M, Yorkshire Trading Co, Amazon, The Range, Homebase, Asda, Poundland and Poundstretcher to suspend sales of disposable barbecues. He says removing them from sale would be an immediate step to reduce the risk of wildfires, while he continues to campaign for a ban on their use in public spaces.