'Don't have a BBQ, go to the pub' - fire chief

Those thinking of using disposable barbecues out in the open are being asked to go to their local pub instead as fire services warn of an increased risk of wildfires during hot, dry weather.

Shaun Milton, from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, said crews were expecting to have dealt with 1,000 fires by the end of the summer, matching last year's total.

As European wildfires rage and more than half of England enters drought, the West's fourth heatwave saw 45 acres of farmland going up in flames near Trowbridge.

Donna Potts from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service warned glass bottles, cigarettes, and cars parked on long grass could also start fires due to the dryness of vegetation.

Milton said he joined the fire service 20 years ago, and the number of wildfire incidents he and his crews are seeing across Dorset and Wiltshire was "becoming exponential".

He added most of the fires "are produced by some level of human intervention".

"We're seeing it with bonfires where, rather than taking their waste to a recycling centre, [people are] maybe having a bonfire, which obviously is far from ideal at this time of year," Milton said.

"People going out to enjoy the beautiful countryside we have here [are] taking disposable barbecues; I'd certainly challenge anybody to say whether they've ever had a good meal from a disposable barbecue.

"I'd certainly suggest, rather than doing that, go to some of the local pubs or restaurants, or bring a picnic instead."

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said barbecues at home should be kept away from fences, sheds, trees, and dry vegetation.

They should also not be left unattended while in use as "distraction is the leading cause of fires in the garden", it added.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said July was its busiest month for emergency calls in the past 10 years.

It said it tackled 472 outdoor fires, which made up two thirds of the total fires across the two counties.

Jules Sayer, who owns the Petruth Paddocks campsite in Cheddar, Somerset, said it had made the "disappointing" decision to ban campfires two weeks ago.

"We just can't risk the ground, or the danger," he said.

However, the move created the opportunity to put a communal campfire on a hard-standing part of the site.

"People are loving [it]," said Sayer. "I think we're going to continue doing that as it has gone down so well, so it's something positive out of a negative situation."

In Somerset, Exmoor National Park Authority has warned against visitors lighting bonfires and barbecues after a park ranger found remnants of a fire at the national park.

It said those visiting the area should not use open fires and barbecues on open moorland.

Elsewhere in the West of England, a grass fire was extinguished by Avon Fire and Rescue Service in Hinton on Monday.

On Wednesday, Stroud District Council said a fire had been lit on The Toots, a prehistoric long barrow and scheduled monument on Selsley Common, in a "disappointing discovery".

Potts, from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said "even a glass bottle that somebody discarded years before, which just catches the sun at the wrong place" could have devastating consequences.

Hot, windy conditions can cause fires to spread "very fast", and if the vegetation is dry, there is a lot of fuel for the fire to use, she added.

"We are certainly not saying stay home and don't go out, but please don't take disposable barbecues... they stay hot for far too long and they start fires very easily," Potts said.

"Do take litter home and keep vehicles away from long grass.

"If you have been driving all day and your exhaust is hot, something as hot as that, if you parked on a grass verge, that could be enough for a fire to start.

"Sparks from trains or from machinery or from a vehicle - lots of things can start a fire."

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