The UK is not prepared for the impact of climate breakdown, fire chiefs have said, as they called on the government to take urgent action to protect communities.
It said fire and rescue workers were increasingly being forced to go “above and beyond” in responding to flooding and other dangerous weather events, from Storm Babet in October 2023 when more than 1,000 homes were flooded and three people died, to Storm Darragh which killed two people in December last year. January brought Storm Éowyn, which broke wind speed records and caused significant damage, particularly in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The Met Office predicts that winters by 2070 will be as much as 4.5˚C warmer and 30% wetter than they were in 1990, while summers may be up to 6˚C warmer and 60% drier. The south of England is projected to face temperatures reaching 40˚C (104˚F) and rainfall is expected to increase by a quarter.
In 2022, London firefighters faced their busiest day since the second world war as a result of a heatwave, declaring a major incident alongside Leicestershire and South Yorkshire services, which also battled fires as a result of prolonged hot, dry weather during July.
That year there were 983 wildfires recorded in England and Wales, a rise of 315% from 2021 and 573% compared with 2020.