Patio heaters in hot water with retailers over environmental concerns

PATIO heaters are no longer being stocked by big retailers after it emerged they use the same amount of energy in one hour as it takes to boil 400 cups of tea.

Woodies and Atlantic Homecare have joined B&Q in saying they will no longer stock the items after the end of this year.

B&Q was the first to announce that it had 20,000 heaters left in its seven stores in Ireland as well as all its outlets in Britain, but that as soon as they were sold off in the seasonal period in 2008 they would not be replaced.