Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heat that has caused wildfires and plunged many parts of Britain into drought. The prime minister will meet ministers, officials, and agencies as high temperatures continue across the UK, with 33C forecast on Wednesday and up to 38C on Thursday.
Second Cobra meeting on heatwaves this year
A No 10 spokesperson said the government understood firefighters, farmers, and NHS staff were all facing challenges connected to the weather. This will be the second Cobra meeting this year on heatwaves, following one in June amid high temperatures. It comes as parts of the country face their fifth heatwave this summer, and the number of days reaching 30C in any year hits a new record, with 35 days so far beating the 34 days set in 1995, according to the Met Office.
The climate breakdown has been linked to the increasing frequency of wildfires, burning larger areas, across many parts of the world. The “fire wave” under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever experienced, with the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves exacerbating the risk.
Government response and warnings
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister will chair a meeting of COBR – the government emergency committee – this afternoon on the UK’s ongoing response to extreme heat, wildfires and drought. We know how challenging this summer is proving, particularly for firefighters tackling wildfires, farmers working in drought conditions, and NHS staff in busy A&E units. We will continue to take the action needed to keep communities safe, protect water supplies and safeguard the environment.”
Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Home Office, and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as officials from the Environment Agency, will attend the Cobra meeting.
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party, said calling the emergency meeting was “only a first step”, adding: “This is a climate emergency which is leading to hundreds of deaths and stretching our firefighters, health staff and farmers to the limit. What we urgently need is concrete action. That must include taxing fossil fuel giants to pay for firefighting helicopters, a cool space in every community, and a maximum working temperature. The prime minister must also commit to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. We cannot negotiate with the science.”
Heat warnings and wildfire incidents
Rare amber “extreme heat” warnings have been issued for London and parts of the south-east, East Midlands, east of England, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire from 9am to midnight on Thursday. The government urged the public to pay attention to UK health security agency heat alerts and advised people to drink plenty of fluids and check in on family, friends, and neighbours who may be at high risk.
The Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: “While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-30sC on Thursday brings the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued.”
On Tuesday, Steve Wright, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), warned the country faced an “unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires”. The National Fire Chiefs Council said firefighters had responded to more than 950 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including 185 in the first 10 days of August alone, while July was the busiest month on record for wildfires with more than 450 incidents.
Drought and water restrictions
Nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, as a record dry July and very dry start to August combined with high temperatures to put pressure on water resources. The FBU said that in many parts of the country, firefighters did not have the latest equipment to deal with these “flash droughts”. “They do not have the new modern personal protective equipment, the lightweight fire kit that we wear, the right helmets, lightweight helmets, breathable uniforms to make sure they’re better protected, their health is protected when they’re out dealing with these incidents for hours and hours on end,” Wright told Times Radio.
Southern Water has applied for a rare non-domestic drought order that would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain was threatening supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It warned that 165,000 people in the Southampton West supply area could face restricted supplies. The environment secretary, Angela Eagle, will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.
The government said it had announced £97m in new funding to upgrade national firefighting capabilities, including off-road vehicles and specialist equipment.
