The Royal Parks Police and the London Fire Brigade are urging visitors to Bushy and Richmond Park, and parklands across London, to act safely and responsibly this weekend after the first Heat-Health Alert of the year was issued for the capital. 

The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency and Met Office, is a response to forecasts that predict temperatures could reach 30 degrees Celsius over the coming days. 

People are expected to flock to Bushy and Richmond Park over the next few days to enjoy the sunshine and ahead of the warm weather, reminders have been issued of the risks barbecues pose and the strict ban on them across all royal parks.

Over the final Bank Holiday Weekend in May, the Royal Parks Police team were called to deal with a fire to a tree stump caused by a disposable barbecue.

Police have issued a reminder on the strict ban of barbecues across all Royal Parks following a tree that caught fire at Richmond Park over the last Bank Holiday Weekend in May (Credit: Royal Parks Police)

Taking to Twitter this afternoon, the team reminded members of the public of the strict ban on barbecues and revealed a bench that had recently been damaged due to one being left on it.

They said: "It's going to be a beautiful hot weekend and no doubt many people with be having a BBQ. However, do not bring any BBQ's into the royal parks, they are not permitted and present a fire risk, especially with the dry grass.

"This new bench (pictured below) was left damaged after a disposable BBQ was left on it. If you light a BBQ in the parks (or any type of fire) then you will be committing an offence under the park regulations. Let's not see our beautiful parks go up in flames this summer."

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A park bench damaged due to a disposable barbecue (Credit: Royal Parks Police)

Fires are often started when park goers have positioned barbecues under the shade of large trees, which could be hundreds of years old. Many have become hollow over time and when a fire starts they act as a chimney, causing the fire to spread through the tree rapidly, destroying the tree and killing animals.

Paul Richards, Park Manager of Richmond Park, added: "BBQs are banned from the parks, and we ask people to take litter home as dropped cigarettes and glass bottles can also increase the risk of a fire. Fires spread extremely quickly across dry landscapes and are a danger to people, wildlife, and property.

"In some areas of the park, we've seen centuries of biodiversity wiped out because of a fire caused by a BBQ. We've lost veteran trees and even if the tree survives the fire will burn out the decaying wood within. This important habitat supports over 1,000 different species of insects and their larvae which can be destroyed. 

"Grassland fires spread quickly and set off a chain reaction. The grass dies as does any seed bank. Often what grows back is a different composition of species and if more aggressive rye grasses get in, then we tend to find the grass loses some of its wildlife value."

London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: "Of course we want everyone to be able to enjoy the weather but this has to be done safely. 

"If you are visiting an open park or space this weekend, please do not take a disposable barbecue with you - they can cause grass fires, especially in hot weather when the ground is dry. Last year, we saw how unpredictable grass fires can be and how quickly they can spread causing a significant amount of damage."