RANGERS in Lickey Hills Country Park arrived at work last week to find a picnic bench destroyed by fire after careless visitors left disposable barbecues behind.
Despite signs warning against the use of barbecues in the park, on the morning of April 5, rangers were left to shovel up the mess revealing the badly damaged tarmac, still hot from the fire.
Lickey Hills Society, who originally supplied the bench were upset to see it reduced to a pile of ash and asked ‘when will people learn?’.
The society have called for action to educate the public on the use of disposable barbecues in their most recent newsletter.
Local councillor Majid Mahmood, Birmingham’s cabinet member for the environment has said he will call for an immediate ban on the sale of disposable barbecues and encourage fixed penalties and large fines for users of the barbecues in parks and open spaces, in a letter to Chris Philp MP, Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire.
This incident is just one of many fires caused by disposable barbecues in the Lickey Hills over the last few years.
In the summer of last year, a fire which started in the same way resulted in the destruction of 400sq m of the park and required 12 fire crews to null the blaze.
Although no one was hurt during the fire last summer, 12 people including 4 children were evacuated from their homes and various wildlife habitats were destroyed or affected.
Firefighters said the blaze was more than likely caused by a disposable barbecue.
Lickey Hills Society hopes to replace the bench but no plans are in place as of yet.
