Wildfires Threaten To Sweep Across Britain Posing 'unprecedented' Risk To Homes As Temperatures Soar

By Tom Pyman and Charlotte Mclaughlin For Mailonline

Published: 21:09 EDT, 10 August 2022 | Updated: 02:01 EDT, 11 August 2022

Wildfires threaten to sweep across the country this weekend posing an 'unprecedented' risk to homes, fire chiefs have told ministers.

The Met Office also issued an 'extreme heat' warning for large areas of the UK over the coming days as the mercury soars as high as 36C in some areas - albeit not quite as high as the record-breaking 40.3C blast experienced last month.

It comes as the weather agency raised its Fire Severity Index to exceptional - the highest level - this coming Sunday for much of southern England, and Wales. The warning system also been at its second highest level of alert for seven weeks, which is the longest stretch since 1976.

Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: 'The risk [for wildfires] is very high across much of central, southern and eastern England.

'Going into Friday and the weekend, it starts to increase further, going into the highest category of exceptional risk.'

Mark Hardingham, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), told The Telegraph that he 'can't remember a summer like this' in his entire 32-year career in the fire service as 13 blazes broke out across the country yesterday including in Durham, Berkshire and Cornwall.

He said: 'We're not going to see temperatures as hot as we saw three weeks ago, but that doesn't matter because the ground couldn't get any drier than it already is.'

Mr Hardingham, whose NFCC has been holding regular meetings with the Government and emergency meetings with fire chiefs, added: 'The wildfires are as prevalent in semi-urban areas as they are in rural communities so it's difficult to know where the next one will be.'

Police are looking to step up patrols for wildfires in high risk areas and there are also reports that tomorrow could see an official drought in the South announced by the Government.

The heat is likely to affect health, transport and working conditions, meteorologists said, as water companies are being urged to protect essential supplies heading into a 'likely very dry autumn'.

There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.

Martyn Read shared this image to his Twitter yesterday of a fire that had started 'just 150m from his home' in a field in Exeter

Large areas of grass have turned yellow (pictured yesterday) due to the dry conditions in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have issused a 'very high' risk of wildfires alert across southern and eastern Scotland with long, dry sunny spells expected over the coming days

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said yesterday: 'Kent Fire and Rescue Service is currently at the scene of a grass fire in Westwood, Gravesend'

The Met Office has raised the Fire Severity Index to exceptional - the highest level - for much of southern England, and stretching as far west as Abergavenny in Wales, for this coming Sunday

Mark Hardingham, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) told The Telegraph that he 'can't remember a summer like this' in his entire 32-year career in the fire service. Pictured: The Met Office's Fire Severity Index (FSI) which shows how the red 'highest risk' is spreading from Thursday (left) to Friday (middle) to Saturday (right)

Four fire engines have been sent to the scene in Kent yesterday, and crews are using hose reel jets and beaters to extinguish the flames. People living or working nearby are being advised to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution due to smoke

A blaze in Gravesend, Kent that narrow missing engulfing nearby properties. Due to swift work by four fire crews who surround the fire and stopped it from spreading to near by properties

Families across the country are being warned to expect some uncomfortable nights, with temperatures unlikely to drop beyond the mid-to-high teens.

The Alzheimer's Society is urging families and carers to regularly check on people with dementia to ensure they remain hydrated in the heatwave by leaving glasses or jugs of water within easy reach, sharing a drink with them, leaving reminders to drink and providing high water content foods.

Mr Petagna added that the temperatures would 'widely' be in the 30s across the UK, peaking locally in the mid-30s on Saturday.

'I think the hottest day will probably be Saturday, where we could see 36C in one or two spots,' he said.

Tom Morgan, a meteorologist with the Met Office, said temperatures had reached 30C quite widely across England and Wales on Wednesday.

The latest heatwave was not expected to produce the record-breaking temperatures seen in July, where thermometers climbed above 40C for the first time in the UK, but would still be notable - with some areas getting close to their local or regional records - and lengthy.

Beachgoers flock to Tynemouth Longsands beach in North Tyneside yesterday to enjoy the sunshine and blazing temperatures as another heatwave hits the UK

A water reservoir is seen with low water levels at Walthamstow Wetlands in London yesterday. Britain is likely to suffer drought conditions until October as the dry weather continues

A lone man on a deckchair on Blackheath yesterday as the temperatures continue to soar across the UK

West Yorkshire Firefighters tackle a blaze arounds Rothwell, Leeds as a farmer frantically ploughs his field in a big to stop the spread

Large areas of grass have turned yellow due to the dry conditions in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have issused a 'very high' risk of wildfires alert across southern and eastern Scotland with long, dry sunny spells expected over the coming days

Beachgoers flock to Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside yesterday to enjoy the sunshine and blazing temperatures as another heatwave hits the UK

A floating duck house rests on the dried bed of the village pond yesterday as the heatwave continues in Northend near Henley-on-Thames

Evie Windridge, 23, and, right, Jessica Palmer, 26, enjoying a day by the sea as summer holiday crowds pack the beach at Bournemouth, Dorset yesterday

Bottles of water are stacked on the village green following a loss of domestic water supply yesterday in the village of Northern near Henley-on-Thames

A water reservoir is seen with low water levels at Walthamstow Wetlands in London yesterday. Britain is likely to suffer drought conditions until October as the dry weather continues

Bottled water is ready for pick up at the village green today, as water supplies from Thames Water have run dry after problems with local supply, in Northend, Oxfordshire

A vintage beer can rests on the dried bed of the village pond as the heatwave continues today in Northend near Henley-on-Thames

Local resident John Sturt walks with his daughter after collecting some bottled water from the village green, as water supplies from Thames Water have run dry after problems with local supply, in Northend, Oxfordshire

'We're looking at a pretty extended spell of hot weather, with a good seven days of temperatures of 30C or so in some places,' Mr Morgan said.

With parts of the UK experiencing the driest conditions since the drought of 1976, experts have warned that the source of the River Thames has dried up for the first time on record.

The source of the river was originally just outside Cirencester, according to The Rivers Trust.

However, following a continuous period of dry weather, it is now more than five miles downstream, near Somerford Keynes.

Worryingly, the Met Office has warned of 'very little meaningful rain' on the horizon - with conditions now so extreme that a hosepipe ban affecting one million people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will come into force at 5pm today.

Speaking to The Guardian, Dr Rob Collins, director of policy and science at The Rivers Trust, explained: 'Following the prolonged dry weather, the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire has dried up, with a weak flow now only just about discernible more than 5 miles downstream (at Somerford Keynes).

'Under our changing climate we can anticipate the frequency and severity of such periods of drought and water scarcity to intensify, with increasing competition for a dwindling resource and devastating impacts on aquatic life.'

The Met Office has warned there is 'very little meaningful rain' on the horizon for parched areas of England as temperatures are set to climb into the 30s next week.

While it could mean another heatwave - when there are above-average temperatures for three days or more - it is likely conditions will be well below the 40C (104F) seen in some places last month.

It comes as the driest first seven months of the year in decades and hot spells have left parts of the UK facing looming drought, prompting hosepipe bans and warnings about the impact on agriculture, rivers and wildlife.

The latest analysis from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) has warned that low or even exceptionally low river flows and groundwater levels are likely to continue for the next three months in southern England and Wales.

More than three inches of extra rain, in addition to what would normally be expected, is needed to overcome the dry conditions in parts of southern England, but there is no immediate sign of rain in the forecast.

Mr Petagna said that rain could be on the horizon early next week. 'There are signs that we could get some rain next week, but details at the moment are uncertain,' he said.

He added that the UK needs 'a few weeks' of light rain to water the ground. 'What we really need is a few weeks of light rain to soak into the ground,' he said. 'Thunderstorms are more likely to cause some flooding issues because the ground is hard the water can't sink in.'

Environment Secretary George Eustice has met with chief executives of water companies, who he said had assured him that water supplies remained resilient across the country.

'Each company has a pre-agreed drought plan which they are following, and I have urged them to take any precautionary steps needed to protect essential supplies as we go into a likely very dry autumn,' he said.

Thames Water has had to supply bottled water for residents in the village of Northend in Oxfordshire and pump water into the network, after supplies were disrupted due to what it said was a technical issue at Stokenchurch Reservoir in the county.

The firm later said it had managed to 'improve the situation' and all customers in the nearby area should now have water, but it warned pressure could be lower than normal.

It comes after the company, which supplies water to 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, became the latest water firm to signal it will bring in a hosepipe ban in the face of the hot, dry summer.

Three other water companies - South East, Southern and Welsh Water - have announced hosepipe bans for customers in areas they supply.

The Angling Trust has called for water companies to 'stop dragging their feet' and implement hosepipe bans in all affected areas and for the Government to declare a drought, as rivers dry up, hitting fish and other wildlife.

Martin Salter, chief policy adviser to the Angling Trust, said: 'Our rivers are drying up, fish and other wildlife are dying and not just on small streams.

'Big rivers, like the Thames, are suffering and has now dried up along a five-mile length from its source for the first time ever.

'And yet right now millions of gallons of scarce water is being wasted keeping golf courses and lawns green rather than helping rivers survive and our wildlife and economy protected.'

Bone dry: Almost half of EU land is currently under a drought warning or worse because of a combination of heatwaves and a 'wide and persistent' lack of rain, experts have warned. A map (pictured) reveals the countries most at risk. Areas in orange are under 'warning' conditions, while 15 per cent of land has moved into the most severe 'alert' state (shown in red)

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The Swanage Railway in Dorset has suspended all steam hauled service on the preserved heritage railway and replaced them with Diesel locomotives due to the high risk of fire during the prolonged drought conditions and current heatwave. A class 33 locomotive passes a fire blackened field as it travels from Swanage to Corfe Castle

A swimmer in the new open water swimming venue in Canary Wharf during warm weather in east London

Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK

The dried bed at Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park, east London yesterday. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday

An aerial view of people enjoying the hot weather on the beach at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside yesterday

Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers yesterday as temperatures continue to soar across the UK

Sun-bleached grass is seen on the route of the Long Walk approaching Windsor Castle on August 10, 2022 in Windsor, England

Reduced water levels at Hanningfield Reservoir, in Essex yesterday. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms

Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers yesterday as temperatures continue to soar across the UK

Weir Wood reservoir, which is currently 60% full, on August 10, 2022 in Crawley, United Kingdom. The Met Office, the UK's weather service, issued an amber extreme heat warning for southern and central England and parts of Wales from midnight on Thursday until Sunday