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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Gary Armstrong

Edinburgh laws on barbecues and whether you're allowed to have one in city parks

For many of you, you'll be counting down the minutes until you can put on the out of office and rush away from the desk to enjoy the Royal Jubilee weekend.

Lots of people are benefiting from the extra bank holiday and the big bonus is the sun is meant to be shining too.

The warm weather has taken a bit of a while to arrive this year - we're now in June and the mercury has rarely risen above 20c.

We like to think Edinburgh is a beautiful city in any season, but when summer eventually hits, the capital becomes even more spectacular.

READ MORE: Edinburgh and East Lothian beaches named best in Scotland by Lonely Planet

Of course us Scots like to make the most of the sunny weather whenever we can - and we'll use it as a good excuse to get out to the coast or perhaps enjoy one of Edinburgh's magnificent parks.

And come June, July or August, the smoke and the smells rising from a barbecue is not an uncommon capital sight.

Edinburgh is set for a sunny weekend. (Getty 2022.)

But what are the rules on having a barbecue in one of our city parks? Although many enjoy responsibly, people in the past have reported issues around littering and scorch marks on the grass.

In June 2020, the leader of The City of Edinburgh Council issued a stern reminder to residents that causing damage to grass in Edinburgh’s city parks is against the rules.

Tweeting a picture of a scorched patch of grass alongside the warning “Gonnae no dae that…”, Cllr Adam McVey reminded park users that disposable barbecues which leave burn marks behind are not allowed.

There are plenty of Edinburgh parks for people to enjoy in the sunshine (Claire McKim)

Here's the rules Edinburgh City Council have put in place as part of their Management Rules for Public Parks and Greenspace:

"The following acts are prohibited:

"Lighting barbecues outwith designated barbecue sites, where these are provided, or in areas or in a manner likely to burn or scorch the ground or cause danger or nuisance to other Park users or neighbouring residents.

"Failing to remove litter associated with BBQs and picnics."

Furthermore, they advise: "Where a Council Official has reasonable grounds for believing that a person has contravened, is contravening or is about to contravene any of these Management Rules, they may expel that person from the Park."

In summary, in designated spaces, Edinburgh locals are allowed to enjoy barbecues responsibly - hopefully a sunny Jubilee holiday weekend will give us the opportunity to do so.

To see Edinburgh City Council's rules for parks and greenspaces in full, you can visit their website here.

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