Parents of two boys seriously injured by disposable barbecues have called for them to be banned.

Temperatures are hotting up this week, with warm weather to continue through the weekend as the mercury rises to near 32C.

But as people plan to flock to the beach, they have been urged not to take disposable barbecues with them.

Toby Tyler’s son Will needed skin grafts and was left with lifelong scars after stepping on an extremely hot piece of sand where a barbecue had been in June 2020.

The family had moved the barbecue on Formby Beach in Merseyside hours earlier but the sand was still ‘red hot’ when the schoolboy walked over it.

His dad had to carry his then nine-year-old son for 20 minutes to get him to the family car before rushing to hospital.

Will, now 11, suffered burns so severe that he had to have skin grafts from his right thigh to his left foot.

The Year Six pupil still has to go back to hospital every six to eight weeks for checks, a process which will continue until he stops growing.

Toby said the trauma of his son’s injury had had a ‘significant impact’ on him both physically and psychologically. This includes PTSD, and ‘severe anxiety attacks’.

He said: ‘He has to wear the compression sock all the time, including at school and in swimming and PE.

‘He has massages twice a day, a splint as well as frequent and regular visits to the hospital’s burns unit and psychosocial support unit.’

Toby has since launched a petition calling for a ban and is also backing National BBQ Week’s ‘Ditch the Disposable’ campaign, which calls for the government to introduce legislation that would outlaw the items.

A ban on single-use barbecues on beaches and open spaces was brought in Brighton last week in a bid to tackle safety and environmental issues.

Anyone not complying could be hit with a fixed penalty notice.

Campaigners hope the approach can be expanded across other parts of the UK.

Alex landed on a single-use barbecue, severing his Achilles tendon.

‘He had to be carried off the beach by his teachers,’ Lucy said.

‘There was blood everywhere. He was in a lot of pain and shock.’

Alex had to be taken to A&E on June 27 where he was admitted overnight.

He had been told he could have to wait another two weeks for the operation needed to stitch up his Achilles tendon but luckily doctors managed to operate on him the next day.

Now, Alex is doing ‘brilliantly’ and recovering well at home in Benenden, Kent and was off pain killers by 1 July.

But Lucy has also called for action to be taken on those people who leave behind the device that hurt her son.

The 47-year-old added: ‘The people who left the barbecue on the beach were deeply irresponsible.

‘They need to know their behaviour causes damage, hence why I am raising awareness.

‘People need to know how dangerous disposable barbecues are and I think they should be banned.’

National BBQ Week’s founder Brian George said: ‘We have been calling for retailers to Ditch the Disposable since 2020 and this is a prime example of the dire need for a nationwide ban.

‘They may be cheap to buy but they have a heavy environmental price.

‘Whilst some national retailers have already put partial bans in place, it’s simply not enough, retailers need to enforce a complete ban or else the UK government needs to step in and enforce a ban.

‘In the meantime, I would encourage shoppers to send them a clear message not to buy them and that they have no place on shop shelves in 2022. As we’ve said many, many times, Ditch the Disposable.’

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