A Cumbrian garden centre is urging people to try a meat free barbecue this summer

Hayes Garden World, in Ambleside, has been investigating meat consumption on barbecues in the UK.

The findings have been presented in graphics and published in an online guide to encourage customers to explore different cuisines on the BBQ.

Using research from sources including the Kantar annual supermarket report, the retailer calculated that in 2018 over 165,000 cows were slaughtered to make barbecue meat just for the summer months in the UK - enough cows to fill Wembley Stadium nine times.

It also revealed that from June to September 2018, 36,876,000kg of meat was eaten on the barbecue, which is the equivalent weight of three Eiffel towers.

Brits also bought 325m burgers in this period, costing £211m pounds.

Hayes is encouraging more people to cook vegan or vegetarian options on the barbecue, with one in three guests likely to want to opt out of eating meat.

Hayes has also highlighted the environmental and health benefits of eschewing meat.

It says the resources used for the 41,000 cows for the barbecue could have made 1,125,040,000 soy burgers, enough to cater for over six-and-a-half years of summer barbecues.

Lyndan Orvis, ecommerce manager at Hayes , said: “Barbecues are a summer event that many households look forward to as a chance to spend time with friends and family, enjoy good food and soak up the summer sun.

“However, the figures are surprising and show that, whilst many of us enjoy eating meat on the BBQ, it could be more resourceful and also healthier to try swapping some BBQ products for meat-free alternatives. It’s good to see that there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options on the high street to ensure that everyone can get involved, regardless of their dietary preferences."