UK extreme heat prompts Cobra emergency meeting

PM touts ban on disposable barbecues as areas hit by wildfires – but some Labour MPs will be hoping for more ambitious ideas to tackle crisis

Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires

Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to the extreme heat, which 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.

A No 10 spokesperson said the government understood that firefighters, farmers and NHS staff were all facing challenges connected to the weather.

It will be the second Cobra meeting this year on heatwaves, after one took place amid high temperatures in June. It comes as parts of the country face their fifth heatwave this summer and the number of days reaching 30C in any year in the UK hits a new record at 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 on record, with the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves exacerbating the risk.

Speaking before the Cobra meeting, Burnham raised the idea of a possible ban on disposable barbecues, which are a known fire risk. “There is obviously a significant problem of wildfires in the south,” Burnham said during a visit to a community centre in Stevenage. “Many of them have been created by disposable barbecues.”

He continued: “I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear. People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.

“I don’t know yet what the remedy is, but I do want to leave the meeting today with a loud and clear message that we do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires.”

Some Labour MPs will be keen to see more ambitious ideas emerge from the meeting, amid concern that the UK is lagging when it comes to immediate policies to adapt to a changing climate. “Adaptation has always been the poor relation in government,” one MP said. “Look how much better we are at getting energy projects off the ground than reservoirs.”

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, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Cabinet Office were expected to attend along with representatives from the Met Office, the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency.

Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party, said calling the emergency meeting was “only a first step”. He said: “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.”

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 bring 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.

Nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, as a record dry July and very dry start to August have 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.