MPs call for action as UK wildfires escalate
MPs have called for disposable barbecue bans, new firefighting planes and Australian-style public campaigns to address the escalating threat of UK wildfires, reports BritPanorama.
Following one of the most severe summers for fires on record across the UK, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee cautioned that “wildfire is part of our new reality”.
Calling for a comprehensive national strategy, the parliamentary panel stated that blazes can no longer be dismissed as rare or exceptional events, as climate change intensifies their frequency and severity.
With the vast majority of incidents caused by human activity, the committee’s chairman Alistair Carmichael emphasised that “prevention is vital”.
“Britain needs a cultural shift that puts us in step with fire-savvy nations such as Australia,” he said, calling for public awareness campaigns and restrictions on disposable barbecues at high-risk times of the year.
Meanwhile fire and rescue services need investment in specialist equipment, with new planes a “minimum requirement,” he added.
As the UK baked in the hottest summer on record in 2026, with widespread drought in England and Wales, fire crews in the two countries responded to 1,132 wildfires in the year up to August 16 – more than the total recorded in the whole of 2025.
Significant fires affected all parts of the UK, from Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains to the Cairngorms in Scotland, as well as the Rhinogydd mountains and South Wales, destroying 19 homes in Dunwich Heath, England.
The situation became so severe that an emergency alert was sent to people’s mobile phones across England and Wales on August 14, warning of a very high national wildfire risk.
In a new report, the Efra Committee stated that wildfires left firefighters working in extreme conditions, forced people from their homes, disrupted businesses and destroyed habitats and landscapes that people care for “in a matter of hours”.
The MPs warned the 2026 fire season exposed weaknesses in the UK’s resilience and preparation for wildfires – from access to aerial firefighting equipment to challenges with sourcing water to fight major blazes.
Most fires are caused by human activities such as littering, leaving campfires or disposable barbecues unattended, and deliberate fire setting, while public understanding of wildfire risks “remained limited,” the MPs said.
Activities such as using disposable barbecues, lighting campfires and discarding cigarettes during elevated fire risk periods should become “socially unacceptable” due to the dangers they pose, the report noted.
The committee called for a Government-funded “national wildfire prevention campaign” with clear and consistent messaging, along with wildfire risk indicators in weather forecasts.
There also needs to be national, temporary restrictions on disposable barbecues during high-risk periods of the year, the committee urged.
Financial support is essential for fire wardens in high-risk areas, currently mostly relying on voluntary patrols by landowners and managers, Mr Carmichael stated.
The report also warned that no single approach to land management could deliver wildfire resilience across diverse landscapes, with peatland restoration, rewetting, grazing, cutting, and prescribed burning all contributing to reducing wildfire risk under different circumstances.
It called for the Government to support an evidence-based “toolbox” of options and work with land managers to develop strategies for tackling the risk.
The report emphasised the decisive role land managers and local communities play in firefighting efforts – from beating out flames to creating fire breaks and rescuing livestock – and noted the emotional and physical toll on those facing the threat of fires.
Fire and rescue services are under exceptional strain from wildfires, especially in rural areas where local firefighters may be volunteers operating in addition to their paid hours, the committee warned, urging action to strengthen the wellbeing of crews.
The MPs also called for implementation plans for new aerial firefighting capability by January 2027, as the UK currently lacks dedicated firefighting aircraft and its limited number of water-bombing military planes are permanently stationed in Cyprus.
Mr Carmichael said: “Two consecutive, record-breaking years of wildfires should be ringing alarm bells in Westminster.”
“We need to see Government preparing for 2027 now. Failure to do so will leave us all exposed to more of the same next year and every year until it is taken seriously.”
“This report offers a catalogue of actions the Government must prioritise as we adapt to a changing climate, but it also tells the story of how these terrifying incidents leave deep scars, not just on our landscapes, but in the minds of rural communities whose voices tend to be excluded,” he concluded.
In response to the report, a Government spokesperson stated that improving wildfire preparedness is a major priority.
“That’s why this week we are holding a summit with Government ministers, fire and rescue leaders, land managers and other partners to understand how we can strengthen the response to this increasing risk,” they said.
“This will build on the action we’ve already taken, including launching a new pilot with six teams of specialist firefighters ready to respond to wildfires across the country, and making almost £1.95 billion available for fire and rescue authorities to keep their communities safe.”
