Folkestone councillor calls BBQ beach ban
But the Council in folkestone says a general ban would be difficult to enforce and would require a public consultation.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
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00:00School's out in the sun with it here on Kent's south coast.
00:04But seagulls and sandcastles aren't the only thing
00:08to keep an eye out for on Folkestone's beaches,
00:11with the harbour ward councillor increasingly concerned
00:15about the risks posed by disposable barbecues.
00:19These barbecues that we're seeing more and more
00:22on our beaches, especially the disposable ones,
00:25are causing issues.
00:28You know, when you go home,
00:30if you take your barbecue with you, that's great.
00:33But when you leave them on the sand,
00:35even buried in the sand, they gather heat,
00:38and children and dogs and adults
00:41have burnt their feet badly on these contraptions.
00:45With children at the seaside all August,
00:48the local Labour representative wants to see a ban
00:52to ensure barbecue-free beaches.
00:55Barbecue bans are nothing new
00:57for people living here in Folkestone.
00:59Just up the road from Sunny Sands,
01:01right here at the Lower Leeds Coastal Park,
01:04barbecues have been banned since 2020,
01:07after visitors were leaving behind lit barbecues,
01:11posing a fire risk.
01:13But our beachgoers here convinced a ban is the way to go.
01:18I think if you're sensible enough,
01:20I think it's a good idea to do.
01:23If you dispose of them correctly,
01:26obviously, if you're putting them in the correct bins,
01:28making sure they're all out, you know, not on fire.
01:32Yeah, I'm not in favour of having them on the beach.
01:35I think they're a nuisance to smoke, you know.
01:39If you have a barbecue, do it at home,
01:40that's my opinion on it, really.
01:42I think if they're left,
01:44it can be quite dangerous for young children
01:46because of the coals remaining hot and things like that.
01:48But I think we want people to come to these areas
01:52and we want people to have staycations in this country.
01:54So I think people are having a nice time
01:56and a barbecue is a nice thing to have.
01:58The potential of a barbecue ban has been raised
02:01with folks in Hyde District Council,
02:04which noted that enacting a general ban on barbecues
02:08would need an amendment
02:10to the existing public space protection order,
02:13or more likely, a new standalone PSPO,
02:18requiring public consultation.
02:20As Councillor Polly Blakemore,
02:22the Green Cabinet Member for Transport,
02:25Regulatory Services and Building stated,
02:28enforcing a ban effectively along our coastline
02:31at the height of summer
02:33would need a significant increase in staffing and budget.
02:37And I think we're still in practice, struggle to implement.
02:41A ban then seems unlikely in the short term,
02:45but when you're next on the coast,
02:46keep an eye out for embers, coals and disused barbecues.
02:52The marks they leave behind won't disappear with the tide.
02:56Oliver Leeds of the Saks for KMTV in Folkestone.