Disposable barbecue thrown into plastic waste bin 'full of rubbish' causes fire near St Annes beach

Police discovered a bin fully immersed in flames near St Annes beach while on foot patrol at around 3pm on Thursday, May 14.

Images from the scene show a plastic bin engulfed in flames resulting in large plumes of black smoke.

The fire was caused by someone throwing away a disposable barbecue into a plastic waste bin full of rubbish, according to police.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Please be mindful when disposing of BBQ's, ensuring they are extinguished correctly, using sand or water and that the BBQ has been cooled down completely before disposing of it."

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed five fighters attended the scene and put the fire out quickly.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 3.01pm and one fire engine from St Annes was called to the scene.

"They were there for less than ten minutes and used one hose reel."

In a previous warning to the public about the dangers of incorrectly disposing barbecues, Ben Norman, Head of Service Development for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said you should be patient when dealing with "stubborn coals or dying fires."

He said: "It’s understandable that people can’t wait to get outside, light the barbecue and enjoy the warmer weather with family and friends and we know how tempting it can be to give stubborn coals or dying fires a helping hand, but please be patient and make sure you use the right tools for the job.

"There have been numerous occasions where people have used petrol and other flammable liquids in an effort to get things moving quicker and the reaction has, not surprisingly, been violent and dangerous and in some instances resulted in severe injuries.”

"Chimineas on the whole are very safe as they enclose the majority of the flame, however people need to realise that the heat and flames from burning wood can still be dangerous if they are used incorrectly."

Top tips for barbecue safety:

- Have a safe set up – avoid placing your chiminea on decking or near trees and structures. Ensure also that it is stable and secure on its stand so as to minimise the risk of it toppling over.

- Never use chemicals such as petrol to start your fire, instead use kindling to create small fire and then slowly add the larger wood.

- Ensure your chiminea has a fire guard, if it did not come with one, you can easily make one yourself using mesh wire. The guard will then prevent any hot embers escaping and possibly burning someone.

- They’re too hot to handle – so make sure children are properly supervised and warn your guests of the dangers too.

- Build small fires – chimineas are designed for small fires, not big ones, so if you see flames coming out of the chimney or mouth it is too big.

- Protect your chiminea – depending on the style of your chiminea the weather can have an adverse effect on it and may cause it to crack or break; so consider covering or storing your chiminea during the winter months.

- Watch it burn – never leave a fire unattended, whether it is a barbecue or in a chiminea

- Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink too much alcohol if you are in charge of the barbecue or fire and keep a bucket of water, sand or garden hose nearby just in case.

Ben added: "This may seem like a long list of do’s and don’ts and many of them may sound like common sense but we would ask people to remain vigilant when using barbecues or chimineas because fires can easily take you by surprise when you get complacent."