Prime Minister Andy Burnham has issued a stark warning against lighting fires in “tinderbox” Britain as soaring temperatures have left large areas of land dangerously dry. The warning follows an emergency alert sent to mobile phones in England and Wales on Friday evening, advising against activities that could spark a wider blaze, such as using disposable BBQs or firepits.
Emergency alert and wildfire response
The emergency alert system, which began appearing on mobile devices from 7pm, was triggered at the request of fire and rescue officers. It comes after a series of wildfire-linked major incidents, including the destruction of homes in the West Midlands.
The Prime Minister is hosting a meeting with farmers this weekend and is set to unveil a £65 million funding package to help them, amid concerns that the hot, dry weather could push up food prices in supermarkets, according to the PA news agency.
Support for farmers
He is expected to tell farmers in the south-west, one of the areas suffering the most extreme heat, that “the ability to grow our own food is national security” and that he will “treat it that way”. He is also set to say that “farmers are at the sharp end of a changing climate and they should not be carrying that risk alone” and that he understands the impact of “lower income, higher costs and no rain in the forecast”.
The new funding package will support environmentally-friendly food production methods through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with an extra £50 million added to this year’s pot, bringing the total SFI budget to £290 million. Farmers will also receive £15 million to help build on-site reservoirs for future dry summers.
Public urged to take extra care
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Burnham has been urging the public to refrain from lighting fires “in gardens, the countryside or other open spaces, including parks, moorland and wooded areas”. Earlier, on a visit to Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where 19 homes were lost in a blaze that spread more than 500 acres, he met residents affected by the wildfire and thanked firefighters and other emergency responders.
He also announced a temporary ban on disposable BBQs, saying “all retailers will be receiving notification of that ban, and we ask them to, obviously, implement it in full until further notice when we can remove it”. He later urged everyone to “take extra care” with the likes of cigarette disposal.
The mobile phone alert warned of a high risk of wildfires nationally, following record-breaking temperatures that have reached 38.1C at Kew Gardens. Frittenden, near Ashford in Kent, has been among the consistently hottest places, with highs of 35.3C.
Announcing an earlier set of measures on Friday, Mr Burnham warned that “Britain is a tinderbox right now” with “37 fires smouldering around the country”. Military personnel have been sent to help fight fires in South Wales, and helicopters could come into play at a national level.
