Farmer issues fire warning as dry spell continues

A farmer has warned people to take extra care in the Warwickshire countryside amid the risk of wildfire as the UK prepares for another heatwave this summer - conditions that he said were also making the job harder.

Charles Goadby, a dairy farmer in Ansley, near Nuneaton, said people had to be "vigilant" to both avoid starting fires and also stay out of harm's way in dry conditions.

The warning came as wildfires threaten the city of Bordeaux in south western France, leading to major evacuations.

Goadby said while he wanted people to enjoy the countryside, visitors should leave disposable barbecues at home, as they could lead to unintended outdoor blazes.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued similar advice.

Additionally, Environment Agency data from the rainfall gauge at Warwick racecourse shows that since 22 July, less than 0.5mm of rain has fallen in the area, leading to dry conditions.

Met Office rainfall radar suggests there will be no significant amounts of rain in Coventry and Warwickshire in the coming days.

The amount of land burned by wildfires across Europe has increased by 57% since summer 2022, according to the World Health Organization.

It adds that climate change is intensifying wildfires and increasing their frequency.

Goadby said summer being the wedding season presented additional fire risks.

"People are out celebrating, you'll see firework displays and Chinese lanterns, things like that. We'd really request people to avoid using them at all costs.

"You don't think about it when the heat's down at night, but it is still dry across the land. These things can come down to ground and set fire to fields and to haystacks."

Warwickshire Fire Service and Rescue Service has advised people to:

• Fully extinguish cigarettes and matches
• Take all litter home (especially glass)
• Keep disposable barbecues off dry grass and vegetation and dispose of ashes safely only when completely cold.

Goadby said the heat was causing problems for farmers who were harvesting their crops, telling BBC CWR he has heard from colleagues that their combine harvesters had caught fire on nearby farms.

A WhatsApp group has been set up among local farmers who are prepared to step in to help prevent field fires on land.

"We've got cultivation equipment that if it's not already sitting on a tractor is very quick to hook up to go and create firebreaks in the local vicinity alongside the big bowsers normally used for sprayers," he said.

However, it is not just the summer heat and lack of rain that is causing concern.

"It's so dry, the grass isn't growing, so [farmers] are taking [animal] feed out to the fields in the summer which normally would be reserved for the winter, so we're already eating into winter stocks" Goadby said.

"It is getting a concern for a lot of people."

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