BBQ party tonight

It's not OK.

The problem with your advice is that anyone idiotic enough to be lighting any kind of fire at the moment is unlikely to act sensibly. The very act of lighting the barbecue is fucking stupid.

I can't believe how many idiots on here still think a barbecue is a good idea in the current conditions.

Have they watched the news at all? Have they seen the footage of people's homes and life possessions in flames? Have they seen the swathes of our countryside, including people's livelihoods, animals and natural habitats destroyed by devastating wild fires?

However sensible you might think you are, barbecues are an unnecessary risk at the moment. If you were sensible, you wouldn't need the government to tell you that.

Having watched my neighbour nearly lose his garage this week I'm wouldn't risk using any type of BBQ until we've had rain.
He has a proper charcoal one and the problem he had was fat causing flare ups of flames. Fat caused a large flare up which the breeze carried away almost 5' and then sparks caught his climber on the garage which then started burning. Luckily, neighbour on garage side had his hosepipe still attached (he's exempt so still using it) and he was able to put out the flames. It really shook neighbour up because he thought that a BBQ on a patio would be safe.

Do what you want, but remember it's your house that go up in flames if anything happens.

Cook indoors definitely. It'll seem a minor inconvenience compared with causing a fire that burns dozens of houses and kills people.

And this is the problem. Idiots will either do as they please, or if something isn’t specifically prohibited they’ll find an excuse to do it anyway.

you can’t rely on common sense.

What if there aren’t any surrounding trees?

Bleach, please. What is wrong with you?
And I mean drink it, natch.

I know we have to be very careful at the moment and I agree with it, but if you go to Oz, there are permanent bbqs everywhere in public places. How do they manage it??? Mind you, they are accustomed to, and respectful of the heat, prepared for it, and have been brought up not to be twats in the heat.

Absolutely.

This is entirely inaccurate information. Sparks will fly from a charcoal BBQ and could easily set light to surrounding trees.

So much easier to cook inside!

What they said 👆.

How on earth do we have grown adults in this world who think that charcoal + flame + tinderbox conditions = a risk worth taking because I want a bloody bbq.

Nah, it’s absolute delight that there’s a restriction in place for which people can judge others, then a desperate baying to ensure it extends well over what’s actually been said, regardless of risk assessment for the specific circumstances.

Yep, I'll get the Dettol out 😂

I would consider using one if certain conditions were met, i’m in the north and although its been hot we have had some rain over last few weeks and so maybe other areas are drier and more at risk - I wouldn’t use it if I was one of the areas with a hosepipe ban which hasn’t seen a drop of rain for weeks.

If I was going to use a barbecue I would only use it on a paved area away from any vegetation and with nothing overhead (no washing lines, string lights etc). I would have fire blanket, extinguisher and buckets of water ready. I would hose down the ground around the barbecue so it was damp. I would definitely not let anybody who is drinking alcohol be in charge of the barbecue. I would not leave the barbecue unattended. After use I would fully extinguish the coals with water. I would only use a barbecue with a lid so if there was wind it could be covered.

To be honest though it would sound like too much faff and still a risk, plus I think likely to annoy some neighbours considering the alert, so I would probably just cook another way on this occasion.

Yep. People will be on the local facebook groups ratting out Sandra & David at number 43 for using a gas barbecue.

All because you can doesn’t mean you should.

I don't think they are, they're keen to judge others and tell then what to do, most on here saying you must avoid all outdoor cooking weren't even planning to do that this weekend anyway they just want to police other people

Some people have a vague sense of social responsibility and aren’t just interested in suiting themselves?

It’s not just stray sparks. The invisible plume of heat that rises up from a gas barbecue is immense - if there’s any vegetation overhanging at all it’ll go up like a torch.

We are in an incredibly dangerous situation and you could literally be waving goodbye to your house or those of your neighbours. There’s no situation in which it’s worth taking any risks.

The alert says don’t do anything that could start a fire. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a wildfire. It lists a few things but it isn’t a definitive list

Surely people can just be extra cautious at this time and be mindful of their neighbours etc.

I would love to study why people are so keen to put restrictions on themselves.

Just don’t. It’s not exactly a hardship to go without a bbq!

Earlier this week, before the fires in the West Midlands, the kids were asking about having a bbq. We just cooked it all indoors and we have a proper gas bbq on a patio, well away the grass, and trees/shrubs etc. The risk was minimal, there was no ban in place of any sort and yet we still didn’t think it was a good idea.

Maybe if people started thinking less selfishly and more about how they can reduce risks down and do what we can to ease pressure on the fire service, we will get out of this crisis a bit sooner. Maybe we could have avoided it in the first place too…

This is entirely inaccurate information. Sparks will fly from a charcoal BBQ and could easily set light to surrounding trees.

Fucking hell, this is going to be Covid all over again.