UK ‘needs firefighting planes and barbecue bans amid rising wildfire risk’
New firefighting planes, bans on disposable barbecues and Australian-style public awareness campaigns are needed to tackle the growing threat of wildfires, MPs have urged.
After one of the most severe summers on record for fires across the UK, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee warned “wildfire is part of our new reality”.
Fires could no longer be regarded as rare or exceptional events as climate change increases their frequency and severity, the committee said, as it called for a national strategy to tackle the threat.
And as the vast majority of fires are man-made, the committee’s chairman Alistair Carmichael warned, “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 said.
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 hit all parts of the UK, from Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains to the Cairngorms in Scotland, the Rhinogydd mountains and South Wales, and Dunwich Heath, the New Forest and Stourbridge in England – the last destroying 19 homes.
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 said the 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 periods of elevated fire risk should become “socially unacceptable” because of the dangers they pose, the report said.
They called for a Government-funded “national wildfire prevention campaign” with clear and consistent messaging, along with wildfire risk indicators in weather forecasts.
And there need to be national, temporary restrictions on disposable barbecues during high-risk periods of the year, the committee urged.
Financial support is needed for fire wardens in high-risk landscapes when wildfires could break out, currently mostly voluntary patrols by “unsung heroes” of landowners and managers, Mr Carmichael said.
The report also warned that no single approach to managing land could deliver wildfire resilience across every landscape, with peatland restoration, rewetting of drained landscapes, grazing, cutting and prescribed burning all contributing to reducing wildfire risk in 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.
And the report said ministers must recognise the decisive role land managers and local communities play in tackling blazes from beating out flames and creating fire breaks to deploying equipment and rescuing livestock – and the emotional and physical toll on local people dealing with the threat of fires.
Fire and rescue services are also under exceptional strain from wildfires, particularly in rural areas where local firefighters may be volunteers or working in addition to their paid hours, the committee warned, as they called for action to strengthen crews’ wellbeing,
The MPs also want implementation plans for new aerial firefighting capability by January 2027, as the UK has no dedicated firefighting aircraft and its limited number of water-bombing military planes are permanently based 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 said.
In response to the report, a Government spokesperson said 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.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub