Curry's becomes second store to ban the patio heater

After B&Q's surprise decision last week to stop selling patio heaters, Curry's has become the second big UK chain to banish the polluting lamps from its shelves.

I'm kind of intrigued as to why this one particular item has become the target of so many wishing to go (or appear) green all of a sudden. There is no doubt that the heaters consume one hell of a lot of energy (the statistic being quoted today is that using one for two hours will produce the same amount of carbon dioxide as a car will provide in the average day). But patio heaters are not the only un-green product out there. Yet the patio heater is so controversial that the UK's leading DIY and now electrical store have both shrunk away from selling it.

The pressure has, perhaps, come from above: a vote in Brussels today is expected to call for an EU-wide ban on the heaters which have become popular with pub owners since the smoking ban was introduced.