As temperatures soar, the team at Anglian Water is urging customers to put fire safety first when enjoying a summer barbecue at its water parks, including Grafham and Rutland Water.

Visitors can enjoy a sizzle at the BBQ stations which are dotted around the parks, but in order to protect other visitors and the parks’ precious environment, it’s vital to follow fire safety procedures.

Anglian Water’s parks offer everything from walking and cycling to fishing and watersports. In the summer, they’re popular spots for picnics and barbecues, where visitors can celebrate the sunshine in the great outdoors.

Grafham Water, near Huntingdon, has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for more than 30 years. The park includes a 280 acre nature reserve, which is home to ancient woodlands, reed beds and important populations of several bird and amphibian species.

Rutland Water is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is internationally renowned for its diverse wildlife. This includes one of Great Britain’s most important wildfowl sanctuaries, regularly holding more than 25,000 waterfowl, which is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and home to the Rutland Osprey Project.

Hannah Mitchell, Visitor Operations Manager at Anglian Water, said: “It’s great that so many people flock to our parks when it’s sunny – and we’re proud that our BBQ stations make it so accessible for people to enjoy the warmer weather.

“But what makes Grafham and Rutland so special is their natural environments, which cover thousands of acres of beautiful countryside. In order to keep this safe, it’s really important that we follow fire safety guidance when barbecuing – so please make sure your BBQs are raised off the ground, and that you put them out completely before disposing of them.”

Anglian Water’s top tips for BBQ safety:

1. When setting up your barbecue, make sure you raise it off the ground (but not with anything flammable!). There are stations around the park that are perfect for this. Open fires are not allowed anywhere at the water parks.
2. Put barbecues out fully when you’re finished with them. That means no embers at all. If you’re struggling to extinguish your barbecue, it’s a good idea to bring a bucket so you can use the reservoir water.
3. Dispose of any litter safely. The most important thing is that all your coals are fully out – and don’t put hot coals on the ground! Once your barbecue is safely extinguished, you can pop it (and any other rubbish) in the park’s bins.
4. Make sure your barbecue is out by 8pm. After 8pm, the parks are no longer staffed – so it’s really important that nothing is left alight after this time, to keep the parks’ environment and any other visitors safe.