Tony Macartney, 45, from Hathersage, is asking retailers to be socially responsible and stop selling the items in a bid to curb the number of fires which have devastated the national park in recent years. Currently, there is no legislation governing their use across the UK, but many fire services have warned of the dangers of using barbecues outdoors in the countryside. The majority of shops in the Peak District have already backed the new campaign, including the Spar stores in Hope and Hathersage, both of which are run by Barrons and have temporarily withdrawn them from sale – now Tony is urging larger retailers to follow suit. He said: “Obviously these things need banning, most people would agree that the damage they cause is just ridiculous. “But, legal process is slow and it takes a long time to get legislation passed in courts so I thought rather than push that – which lots of people are already trying to do – this started off as a local campaign to get local shops to voluntarily just remove them from sale.” Bamford Edge near Ladybower reservoir was engulfed in flames on Saturday, sending thick smoke billowing down the Derwent valley, while firefighters from Hathersage station tackled another blaze which raged at The Dale in Hathersage the same night. Tony says there have been several reports of fires across the Hope Valley this weekend alone and is concerned that the issue is only getting worse. After receiving an overwhelming response to his campaign, he has now started a Facebook group for people to join and follow the movement in calling on the shops in their villages to remove disposable barbecues. He is also encouraging shops in Sheffield and the surrounding areas to remove the disposable items from sale as tourists often buy them before travelling for a day out in the Peak District. “It seems to be the case that in the majority of these fires there are disposable barbecues being used but in some cases, people have been bringing the proper kettle barbeques and in other cases, they’re wildfires or people attempting to start fires for camping,” Tony added. “There’s not a lot I can do about these but what I’m trying to do is minimise the opportunistic element of people that come out to the Hope Valley, nip in the local shop and get a pack of burgers and a free barbecue. But, we’ve all got the same issues, it’s not specific to the Hope Valley and the Peak District.” Over 15,000 people have now signed a separate petition calling for disposable barbecues to be banned which was launched at the weekend by another Peak District resident. A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Thank you Nancy Fielder, editor