“These scorch marks were spotted on the ground in Harrison Park at the weekend of June 7th/8th, presumably caused by barbecues being used irresponsibly. It takes a long time for the grass to grow back. Any suggestions for putting an end to this vandalism of our beautiful local park?”
The use of disposable barbecues is a perennial problem in Harrison Park and on the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links as soon as the sun puts in an appearance. So again this year, during the recent warm spell , and doubtless exacerbated by our finally being given permission to meet with others outdoors after the weeks of lockdown.
No-one can blame local residents for wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to picnic and even barbecue in the park, but the damage caused to the grass by lighting a disposable barbecue laid directly on the ground leaves ugly scars that proliferate throughout the summer season and can still be seen the following year. Careless disposal of barbecues has also regularly caused bin fires requiring the attendance of the fire service.
We need an answer to this problem. Providing bricks to put beneath the aluminium trays hasn’t proved to be a sustainable solution – they are seldom used and often disappear.
Is it time to ban disposable barbecues in Edinburgh’s parks?
Could bookable barbecue stations be provided, as in some country parks, and no other barbecues allowed?
Barbecues appear to have been responsible for several fires in open country and on moorland across the UK during the recent very dry and warm spell of weather. A UK-wide petition calling for them to be banned has been drawn up, and for those local residents who feel strongly about this, here is a link to the petition: