The fire service has issued advice on how to put out and dispose of barbecues

But what's also important is disposing of them properly, so they don't set alight or cause harm to others.

Both Cosham and Southsea fire stations have issued advice on how to safely put out barbecues '“ with the top tip being to take a two litre bottle of water out with you to pour over the barbecue.

A spokesman from Southsea Fire Station said: '˜That's what we've been telling people to do.

'˜If you take a two litre bottle of water out with you you can pour it over the barbecue before it goes into a bin, but you've got to give it time to cool down before it does.

'˜People sometimes just put a hot barbecue into a rubbish bin, and the rubbish sets alight, not because the barbecue isn't out properly but because of the heat.

'˜As a station we've had lots of call-outs over the summer to do with barbecues outside.

'˜There are designated barbecue disposal bins on Southsea Common which are signposted, so people need to make sure they're using those.'

Portsmouth City Council have designated barbecue bins on Southsea Common, which are black with red tops.

Crew manager Richard Munday, of Cosham Fire Station, said making sure you have a level surface is important for safety.

He added: '˜If you're having a barbecue on the common you need to be aware of the surface you're putting it on. 

'˜If you're going to put it on dry grass it may radiate heat and cause a fire.

'˜When using a disposable barbecue it's good to have something like a chopping board, a flat surface that isn't going to combust, underneath, so the heat is divided.

'˜When disposing make sure the barbecue is as cool as it can be, take a large bottle of water with you and slowly pour it into each corner and let it settle.

'˜Once it's cool and only then, think about putting it into a bin. 

'˜If you're using tin foil tray barbecues at home, we say to leave them for at least 12 hours before touching or moving them.

'˜Once cool lightly spray water on it, don't go dumping a bucket over it, make sure there are no embers, put it in a bag and dispose of it with household waste.'