A MAN who failed to see a fuel warning notice while assembling a new gas barbecue narrowly missed suffering serious burns after it melted, say fire chiefs.

Following the incident, which happened in Postley Road, Maidstone, on Saturday evening, the Kent Fire and Rescue Service has warned householders to take more care with barbecues.

Firefighters called to the scene discovered that the pipe connecting the gas cylinder to the barbecue had melted, causing a blow-torch effect.

The man who assembled the new barbecue had put it together correctly, but had failed to spot a warning in the instructions that charcoal or lava stones should not be used with that particular model.

He filled the tray with charcoal and ignited the barbecue - but after 10 minutes the burning charcoal produced excessive heat at the bottom of the tray, causing the gas pipe to melt.

Luckily, he managed jump away from the flames and was uninjured - but fire chiefs said the incident could have been much more serious.

“I am certain there was no fault with the barbecue or its design and this would not have happened if the barbecue had been used correctly,” said Greg Theophanides, station officer at Maidstone Fire Station.

“I would urge the public to read the instructions and safety advice supplied with all barbecues to make sure they know what they can and cannot put in them and to be sure they are using them correctly.”