Barbecues should be banned at all beaches in a Kent district before someone is badly injured, a councillor believes.

Labour representative Cllr Nicola Keen thinks the Folkestone and Hythe area will be a “safer place for everyone” if her idea is taken forward.

The politician is calling on Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) to start dishing out fines to those caught using any type of barbecue - something already seen in the Canterbury district with disposable grills.

“I was on the beach in Folkestone when a child burnt her foot where people had buried hot coals in the sand," Cllr Keen said.

“The amount of damage they can cause is ridiculous, both physically to a human being and also to properties and around the area.

“I think if we did a poll, it's very rare that local people are going to use the beach to have a barbecue. If you're coming to the beach, come with a picnic.”

Last year, Canterbury City Council introduced £100 fines in Herne Bay and Whitstable for beach-goers lighting up disposable barbecues.

Rule-breakers in the area also face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 for more serious breaches.

Now, Cllr Keen, who represents Folkestone Harbour Ward, believes FHDC should follow suit.

“We don't allow dogs on the beach because they make a mess or they smell," she said.

"But we're allowing a barbecue on a beach, which also smells and causes offence.

“The most paramount thing for me is safety for every resident and every visitor to our beaches.

“I just think barbecues on the beach are an accident waiting to happen, especially as they keep burning for a long time afterwards.”

In 2020, barbecues were banned from the Lower Leas Coastal Park in Folkestone by FHDC in response to the rising number of visitors in the area.

It came after visitors were found to be leaving barbecues lit - sparking two fires.

In July 2022, a mum called for a ban on disposable barbecues at beaches after her son was so badly injured when he stepped on one buried in the sand that he had to have an operation.

Lucy Gottelier's son, Alex, was on a school trip at Camber Sands in East Sussex when he tripped and fell backwards onto a single-use barbecue, severing his Achilles tendon.

Two years on, Ms Gottelier says her stance “has not changed” on disposable barbecues despite Alex, now 14, making a full recovery.

She said: “He had the plaster cast for about eight weeks and about nine months of physiotherapy. It was a very serious injury.

“Disposable barbecues have really sharp edges and it cut through 50% to 70% of his Achilles tendon.

“I fully support the councillor’s idea to ban them across the district.

“We are always extra careful when visiting beaches now.”

Cllr Keen, who expressed her concerns at a FHDC full council meeting last week, says the rules should now be extended as beach barbecues are a “dangerous activity”.

In response, cabinet member Cllr Polly Blakemore (Green) said she is "aware that some other coastal authorities have banned barbecues or types of barbecues such as the disposable models".

“Enforcing a ban effectively along our coastline at the height of summer would need a significant increase in staffing and budget, and I think we would still in practice struggle to implement," she said.

“This is not an overnight process.

“Legally, we would need to be able to justify a ban in line with the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and through a public consultation process.

“Many would argue that a general ban unfairly penalises families and groups that act responsibly.

“An alternative would be a partial ban in certain locations but as we know from our experience with the Coastal Park, this will often only displace barbecues to other beaches and perhaps intensify problems in one area.

"Even a partial ban would require additional resources to implement."