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Barbecues cause 1,000 fires per year

Barbecues are the cause of an estimated 1,000 home fires annually, costing UK homeowners some £296 million a year.

New research from Halifax Home Insurance revealed that millions of Britons are putting their health and their homes at risk by using potentially fatal accelerants to start their barbecue.

Some 1.7 million people have used petrol to light a barbecue, while 1.2 million have used aerosols. Meanwhile, a further 4.6 million have used either white spirit or meths and 600,000 have used perfume.

Such a cavalier attitude to the safety of home and garden costs UK homeowners some £296 million a year, working out as £148 per person. However, 229,000 people have caused such extensive damage to their property that the repair bill came in at between £500 and £2,500.

Such a carefree attitude towards household safety might be understandable if adequate cover were too expensive, but provided barbecue fires are not caused by gross negligence on the part of the policyholder, domestic fires of this nature are virtually always covered under home insurance policies.

As a result, homeowners are urged to take out adequate home insurance before the summer season kicks in in earnest.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriter at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "Millions of Britons risk the health and safety of themselves and their guests by using potentially lethal accelerants to light barbeques. Using petrol or white spirits to light a barbeque is extremely dangerous and could easily result in a fire that is uncontrollable.

"With the MET office forecasting a wet summer it is vital that people who wish to press ahead with hosting BBQs do not resort to lighting them with combustible or explosive materials."

However, burning entirely inappropriate materials on a barbecue, such as garden furniture or ornaments can invalidate home insurance cover, leaving the unfortunate homeowner stick with the bill.