Patio heaters have spread epidemically around here over the last few years, as a vivid demonstration that awareness of environmental issues is still negligibly small. As people won't listen to reason, it's welcome news that the EU is preparing a ban on these horrid things. Even though, of course, this risks helping the anti-EU camp in this country, which is almost as strong as the anti-environment camp. A voluntary government ban ahead of EU legislation would have been better.