Supermarkets including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Co-op have suspended sales in response to warnings from fire chiefs during a period of hot, dry weather that has increased the risk of wildfires across the country.

The likes of Wilko and The Range have also started removing them from stores and online.

Recent blazes have already broken out in Dunwich, Suffolk and the Rhondda Valley in Wales.

Major retailers have taken action in line with voluntary guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) lasting until Wednesday, August 12.

A Co-op spokesperson said: “Co-op takes its environmental and community responsibilities extremely seriously and has a long-standing policy for the safe sale disposable BBQs, supported by the NFCC.

“Due to the very hot weather and drought conditions the UK is currently experiencing, and in line with the NFCC guidance, we have voluntarily removed all disposable BBQs from sale for a temporary period.”

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “As a responsible retailer Tesco follows the voluntary code on the sale of disposable barbecues created by the British Retail Consortium and the NFCC.

“In line with the code, we have temporarily removed disposable barbecues from sale across our stores and online.”

Retailers Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and M&S stopped selling disposable barbecues in 2022.

“We have to accept the fact that the climate has changed”

Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, who has called on retailers to remove the products from sale for the rest of the summer, welcomed the move and urged smaller shops to follow suit.

He also called for longer-term action to address changing climate conditions.

Mr Pearce told the Press Association: “The big retailers are taking the lead, which is great, but now we need the others to come in behind them.

“Asking them to suspend sales this summer is to deal with the immediate problem but we have to accept the fact that the climate has changed.”

He said that “last summer was the worst on record for wildfires,” and warned: “This year will almost certainly surpass it.

“We need to adapt quickly to our changing climate and start planning for next summer now.”

Mr Pearce continues to campaign for a full ban on disposable barbecues in public spaces.

He said: “The Government needs to genuinely look at what’s happening.

“It’s great retailers are supporting us this summer but I would expect the Government to look at the risks and act ahead of next summer.”

Fire chiefs say wildfires are putting growing and sustained pressure on services, with more than 700 incidents already recorded in England and Wales this year.

What are wildfires caused by?

Prolonged hot weather combined with human activity is one of the main causes of wildfires, according to the National Emergencies Trust.

It explains: “Hotter weather alone cannot cause wildfires.

“It depends on fuel, weather conditions and an ignition source, like lightning or human action.

“Many wildfires are sparked by human activities, including discarded cigarettes, campfires, and even arson.

“Unintentional acts of negligence can have devastating consequences.”

Do you agree with the decision for supermarkets to remove disposable barbecues from sale? Let us know in the comments.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Chainguard has joined AWS Security Hub Extended as a supply chain partner, giving AWS customers access to Chainguard Libraries through the service.

The integration places Chainguard in the new Supply Chain category within AWS Security Hub Extended, allowing customers to bring its package catalogue into existing AWS security workflows. Users can buy the offering through existing AWS contracts, with Enterprise Discount Program terms applied where relevant, and view findings alongside other security alerts in Security Hub.

The move comes as companies face growing concern over attacks targeting open-source software dependencies. These attacks can insert malicious code into widely used packages that developers pull into applications, creating a route into corporate systems before security teams detect a problem.

Chainguard says its Libraries product is designed to replace packages from public repositories such as PyPI, Maven Central, and npm with alternatives rebuilt from verified source code. Those packages are produced in its own build environment rather than taken directly from public registries.

Security Hub Extended is AWS’s broader marketplace and operational framework for security tools that run inside its cloud environment. By joining the service, Chainguard becomes one of the suppliers customers can activate from within the AWS console rather than through a separate buying process.

Open-source risk

The backdrop is a wider shift in cybersecurity from detecting threats after software enters an organisation to blocking suspect components earlier in the development chain. Open-source software underpins much of modern application development, but public package repositories have become a target for attackers seeking scale.

Chainguard argues that conventional scanning tools can miss the window when a malicious package is first published and quickly downloaded into software builds. It says more than 98% of malware ships as a pre-built package with no matching source code, making early verification of provenance more important than later inspection alone.

Its approach is to supply versions of common language dependencies rebuilt from source and accompanied by signed provenance and software bills of materials. The packages available through the AWS integration are rebuilt in a SLSA Level 3 build environment, according to Chainguard.

The AWS arrangement also changes how customers pay for and support the product. Rather than setting up a separate vendor relationship, customers can purchase through AWS and consolidate the spend into one bill while still relying on Chainguard’s expertise for the software itself.

For enterprise users, the service also brings unified Level 1 support from AWS for Enterprise Support customers. Security findings are centralised using the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework, allowing data from Chainguard to sit alongside findings from AWS and other partners in a common structure.

Patrick Donahue, Senior Vice President of Product at Chainguard, addressed the significance of the partnership in the context of open-source risk.

“Open source is the foundation the world’s software is built on. When that ecosystem gets compromised, the blast radius is enormous,” Donahue said.

He also linked the AWS listing to broader recognition of supply chain security concerns.

“AWS adding us as a partner for supply chain security with the Extended plan is a real signal that the industry is treating this problem with the seriousness it deserves. Chainguard delivers that protection to customers with open source that’s trustworthy by default,” Donahue said.

Buying route

The commercial element may prove as important as the technical integration for some buyers. Procurement teams often slow adoption of new security tools because separate contracts, reviews, and billing arrangements add time and cost, particularly when development teams want to move quickly.

By appearing inside AWS Security Hub Extended, Chainguard gains access to organisations that prefer to buy third-party security products through a cloud provider they already use. The setup also lets customers apply AWS spending commitments and discount structures, which can make a new product easier to justify within existing budgets.

Chainguard is one of a growing number of security suppliers trying to address weaknesses in the software supply chain before code reaches production systems. Its customer list includes large technology and industrial groups, reflecting stronger demand for tools that monitor or replace open-source components used in commercial software.

Customers using AWS Security Hub Extended can subscribe to Chainguard Libraries through the Extended plan and configure it within their environments, with findings then surfaced centrally through Security Hub.

Speaking to the Henley Standard, Chris Dale, 66, from Hobbs End, Henley, said the leak, originating from a Thames Water meter, has been causing issues for residents since the beginning of June.

The water flows downhill in the cul-de-sac, reaching the junction with Valley Road.

Mr Dale said: “I have lived here and around all my life. I love Henley and I want it to look nice and at its best. This leak isn’t helping.

“When you leave water like this for so long, it looks terrible. It makes such a mess.

“Thames Water is aware of the leak—they’ve marked the drain, and nothing’s happened yet.”

Mr Dale was informed that the leak would be repaired on Thursday last week, but said there was “no sign of anyone.”

MP for Henley, Freddie Van Mierlo, recently hit out at the CEO of Thames for saying its leakage targets are unrealistic (Image: Contributed)

He said: “It’s not a good scenario, especially with all this hot weather at the moment and how long the leak has gone on for. Surely, we should be preserving water and not wasting it?”

“If you were to measure the amount of water each day for every day it’s been going on for, how many gallons would that be? It would be a lot.”

With a hosepipe ban being imposed by Thames Water last month, Mr Dale said he is “surprised” the leak has not been repaired yet.

He added: “Every time I look on the television, they’re saying to be careful with water, be careful how many times you shower and have a bath, which is fine. But then you have this amount of wastage on top of that, no wonder we’re in trouble.”

A spokesman for Thames Water said that it was planning the repair.

He said: “Leaks like this often require working with the local authorities, and in these cases, planning repairs can take a little longer.

“Once we’ve scheduled the repair, we’ll send a team to fix the leak.”

This “share” would give the government veto powers over decisions such as mergers.

The lenders are also proposing giving local authorities greater involvement in the firm.

CEO of Thames Water, Chris Weston, speaking on the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, stated that some of the targets were beyond what they could achieve.

He said: “We have to hit a certain level of leakage, but it is so far in excess of what we are capable of doing, I think anyone would be capable of doing, however much money you invested, that it is not going to be achievable.”

Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK, has been under fire recently for its handling of sewage discharges and leaks.

Last year, it was fined a record £122.7 million by regulator Ofwat, largely for breaching sewage spill rules.