Fire at Sussex beach sparks calls for new bins

Firefighters were called to the blaze at East Preston, near Littlehampton.

Zoe Steel shared a photograph to Facebook and said "It really is time there was a dedicated barbecue bin on East Preston beach."

The post drew dozens of reactions from concerned residents, including Bernadette Jenkins who said: "That'll be the bonfire I could smell at the other end of the village, earlier on this evening.

"I did wonder at the time why some people don't seem capable of heeding advice not to light fires in such dangerously dry conditions."

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to the scene in Sea Road at around 8.45pm on Thursday.

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They quickly had the flames under control.

The fire service said the fire is believed to have been caused by a disposable barbecue.

People are calling for designated barbecue bins after a fire on Thursday night (Image: R Steel)

"We would urge people to take extra care when using disposable barbecues during the hot weather," a spokeswoman said.

"When you have finished your barbecue, leave it to soak in water for several hours and only put it in the bin once it has cooled completely."

Arun District Council said it has dealt with several bin fires this week caused by disposable barbecues and gas cannisters.

"Every time we deal with this and replace a bin it costs between £550 and £1,600," said a council spokeswoman.

"It can also impact our emergency services when they have to attend.

"Barbecues must be doused with water (and there is plenty of that by the beach) to ensure they are saturated and cold, and then bagged up and taken home with you.

"It is also important to remember that barbecues are not permitted on the beach due to the fire risk and the damage to wildlife and the coastal environment. There are fixed barbecues along parts of the beach greens for everyone to use. We are currently reviewing the options around barbecues bins

"At this time of year our cleansing teams are working at capacity – in just one day this week, 2.6 tonnes of waste was collected at our beaches, that is as well as the normal collections from the rest of the district. "