A WARNING has been issued by Hartlepool's trading standards officers to be careful when using disposable barbecues which have killed nine people in recent years.

The throwaway products are not a problem when used to cook outside but can become dangerous when taken into an enclosed space as the barbecues contain a gas which can be fatal when inhaled.

Retailers do not have to include safety messages on the product packaging by law and trading standards officers in the town have bought examples of the product without appropriate warnings.

A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council said that many people are tempted to use them for warmth as the weather drops in the evening and they have been taken into tents, caravans and even conservatories.

Ian Harrison, Trading Standards and Licensing Manager with Hartlepool Council, said: “Even when apparently cold, disposable barbecues continue to produce carbon monoxide and when this is breathed into the body, even in relatively small quantities, it prevents blood from providing essential oxygen to cells, tissues and organs.

“I don’t want to see any more people fall victim to this deadly killer gas. Our advice is quite simple. Never take a used disposable barbecue into an enclosed space, even if it feels cold to the touch. When you’ve finished using a disposable barbecue it should be left outside until the following day and then disposed of appropriately.”

By law, retailers do not have to include key safety messages on product packaging and literature which is a matter of serious concern to Mr Harrison.

He added: “We have been working with retailers and barbecue manufactures to improve the warning messages on these products but we are not yet where we want to be."