A fire which damaged the front of the ice cream kiosk on Gyllyngvase Beach has led the owner to call for special barbecue bins to be installed.

Two fire engines with 11 firefighters were called to the site, next to the Gylly Beach Cafe, at around 11pm yesterday, after reports of a blaze in a bin which had spread to the neighbouring kiosk.

Upon arrival, crews found that the flames had spread to the roller shuttering, and after the fire was extinguished they entered the building to damp down and cut away.

Jan Daw, the business owner, said that although the fire was believed to be accidental, it highlighted concerns over the disposal of barbecues from the beach.

She said: "The problem is barbecues. They need to be disposed of correctly, and to have a dedicated area.

She said the cafe leaves its bins out in the evening to be collected, and also to provide somewhere for beach users to dispose of their rubbish, but "you would think they would have a dedicated barbecue bin now, something fire retardant."

She added: "The other problem is customers, or people using the beach, are walking across the beach and standing on barbecues buried under the sand. There is the possibility of injuries, of possible burns."

The fire brigade is treating the fire as accidental, and Jan said she does not think it was a malicious act, but she wishes people would think about how to dispose of their barbecues, and "not just put them in any old bin."