Labour's environmental policies have been blamed for a record-breaking wildfire year after 1,017 fires tore through England and Wales, with the total already matching the number recorded during the whole of 2025. The figure makes this year the worst on record for wildfires, while temperatures are forecast to reach 38C today.
Campaigners blame Government's approach
Campaigners have accused the Government of ignoring warnings that its approach to the countryside has left large areas covered in dry vegetation that can quickly catch fire during periods of extreme heat. Critics have particularly targeted Labour's rewilding policies, which involve allowing nature to develop without human interference. They argue the policy has contributed to a build-up of vegetation that can act as fuel during heatwaves.
Traditionally, gamekeepers and farmers have used controlled burning of heather and grasses during the cooler months. The practice also encourages fresh shoots for grouse and sheep to feed on. Last year, Labour extended restrictions on burning across 1.6 million acres of land. The Government says the measure, which is aimed at peatlands, will improve air quality while protecting environmental and public health.
Landowners and campaigners criticise ban
Jonathan Roberts, of the Country Land and Business Association, is understood to have said: "Last year was the worst on record for wildfires, yet ministers responded by making it harder for land managers to carry out the controlled burning necessary to stop wildfires taking hold in the warmer months. Government has in effect banned the single-most important method of preventing wildfires, and we are now living with the consequences. Put simply, they must reverse the policy immediately."
The Countryside Alliance also criticised the Government's approach, describing the decision as "foolish". "Moorland communities are facing increasing challenges, the Government having recently more than trebled the area over which the controlled burning of vegetation is effectively banned in our uplands," it reportedly said. "The Countryside Alliance has repeatedly warned that by ignoring the latest scientific evidence, the Government is significantly increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires."
Firefighters battle blazes across the country
The criticism came as more than 100 firefighters continued tackling a major fire in the New Forest which has been burning for four days, reports the Daily Mail. Fire crews elsewhere have also faced mounting pressure, with firefighters in South Wales describing the situation as "carnage" as they dealt with seven separate blazes. Some of those fires are believed by crews to have been started deliberately.
Andy Burnham has meanwhile called on retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues, claiming they were responsible for many of the fires. He also hinted that a ban could be introduced during the summer in future. Lord Botham, a prominent critic of rewilding, called on the Prime Minister to take "decisive" action and place the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which oversees the policy, into special measures for "reckless incompetence".
The former England cricket captain reportedly said: "Our wildfire crisis is man-made. It is the result of dreadful policy mistakes repeated year after year. For two decades we have added far too much vegetation to our landscape and are now suffering the inevitable consequences. Unless Andy Burnham acts decisively there will be fatalities."
Defra defends peatland restoration
Natural England maintains that burning heather harms peat that stores carbon and instead advocates mechanical cutting. Critics argue that although cutting reduces the amount of vegetation available as fuel, it still leaves combustible material behind. "The winter burns used to create firebreaks. Now we have huge expanses of continuous, ageing vegetation. The result is disaster after disaster," Lord Botham wrote. "The new winter burning season is due to start on October 1. The Prime Minister has only weeks to reverse last year's ban and get these preventative winter burns restarted."
Andrew Gilruth, of the Moorland Association, said: "Rewilding sounds like a good idea, unless you end up facing a wall of flames. We simply have far, far too much vegetation covering our landscape and until we reverse rewilding, the wildfires will get worse and worse." Defra defended its policies, describing them as a "long-term" solution. A spokesman said: "Peatland restoration is the most effective, sustainable, and long-term solution for reducing fuel load on degraded peatlands, as wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands hold more water in the landscape for longer and are more resilient to the impacts of wildfire."
