Have your say on updated rules for disposable barbecues, fires, lanterns and balloons

We introduced a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in 2022 in 2022 to stop the use of disposable barbecues and the release of lanterns and balloons in parks, open spaces, and on the seafront.

The order expired in August 2025, and we are now asking for your views on whether it should be brought back, with an added rule to ban unauthorised fires.

Single-use disposable barbecues

Using single-use barbecues causes a lot of problems for both the environment and the council. They can:

• start fires if not thrown away properly
• injure people and animals when left in beaches, parks and open spaces
• burn and damage the ground if not set up properly
• be costly to clean up and dispose of when they’re left behind

Lanterns and balloons

Releasing lanterns and balloons causes serious problems for both the environment and the council.

Once they’re in the air, there's no way to safely get them back. There’s also no guarantee the flame in lanterns goes out before landing.

They often fall back to the ground as litter, where animals, birds, or marine life can eat them or get trapped by them, which can lead to injury or even death.

Like single-use barbecues, they’re not just bad for nature, they also cost the council extra money to clean up.

Unauthorised fires

Unauthorised fires can be dangerous and damage public spaces. They can:

• quickly get out of control
• injure people, animals, and harm the environment
• damage the ground, even if the fire is kept under control

Restricted areas

Parks, open spaces and the seafront in Brighton & Hove.