Disposable barbecues beach ban to come into force

Fines of £100 will be issued for using single-use barbecues on beaches between Seasalter and Reculver

A ban on using disposable barbecues on a 14-mile stretch of coastline in Kent is set to come into force.

Fines of £100 will be issued for using single-use grills on beaches between Seasalter and Reculver from Saturday.

Opponents to the scheme called the new rules draconian and said they would not be enforceable.

But council chiefs said the "common sense" measure will keep people safe and protect wildlife and coastal stretches.

Similar rules have already been implemented at beauty spots across the Canterbury area.

Marie Royle, Canterbury City Council deputy director of people, said: "This set of common sense rules are designed to protect our wonderful coastline and its wildlife, while ensuring everyone can enjoy themselves while keeping and feeling completely safe and respecting others around them."

The council will also outlaw open fires on the coast, as well as jumping off Whitstable harbour and Herne Bay pier.

Alex, 13, was badly injured after stepping on a disposable barbecue at Camber Sands beach

Lucy Gottelier, from Benenden, suggested there should be a wider ban on disposable barbecues after her 13-year-old son Alex was badly injured at Camber Sands, near Rye, East Sussex, in June last year.

"He sliced his Achilles tendon on the metal part," she told BBC Radio Kent. "The tendon was basically coming out of his heel.

"That was June last year and it has taken until now to fully recover."

Ms Gottelier added: "I very much welcome those restrictions, I feel like they could go further. I am almost all for an all-out ban.

"I think Canterbury have got the right idea, and I really think it is something that should be happening all around the country at a minimum."

Similar bans have been brought into force by various councils around the country, including in Brighton and Hove in July 2022.