Take care when disposing beach BBQs
Islanders have been asked to take care when extinguishing and disposing beach barbeques after three fires broke out in coastal litter bins in the last week.
In another incident, fire debris was also found at the Saumerez Park nature trail.
The increase in freedoms afforded by the move to phase four has inevitably seen hundreds of islanders flock to the beaches and parks to take advantage of the good weather.
But the States of Guernsey has urged islanders to practice caution when disposing of smouldering coals from disposable barbeques, to avoid the cost of replacing bins and potentially more serious fire damage.
Barbeques can be lit on the North and West coast beaches, excluding the Richmond end of Vazon. No fire is permitted on the nature trails, coastal grasses or cliffs, grassy or wooded areas.
This is because open flames can light dry vegetation and the resultant fires could spread to nearly valuable resources, habitats and homes.
To ensure barbecues are safely enjoyed, people can follow a few simple safety tips.
-Only light barbecues on beaches, below the high tide mark, and keep a 4 metre distance from any surrounding dune or grassland vegetation.
-Only light the barbeque after 5pm and in a spot where smoke won't disturb other people.
-It is advised to have a container on hand to collect seawater.
-To safely extinguish a barbeque, embers must be doused in water until they are cold.
-A good way to tell if the embers are cold enough is that the ash no longer hisses, there is no more smoke and the remnants are cold to the touch.
-The cold remnants must then be disposed of properly, either taken home or put carefully in a litter bin.
-Use water and sand to make sure the area around the barbecue isn't hot and won't hurt other beach users if they step on it.
Further information, and permits for beach barbeques of more than ten people, can be found at gov.gg/beachbbq.
