Revealed: UK government quietly abandoned plan to prepare England for wildfires
It has emerged that the UK government never implemented a planned programme to adapt England's countryside to wildfire risk, despite a summer of record-breaking fires. New data also shows most fire services lack proper protective equipment.
Environmental campaigner and author Guy Shrubsole has revealed, through a freedom of information request, that the UK government never actually implemented a programme designed to prepare England's countryside for wildfire risk.
The programme was part of the third national climate adaptation plan, published in July 2023 under then-prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government. It committed to running a wildfire risk scheme from 2023 to 2027, adapting land management to reduce fire danger. The current government has now confirmed that commitment was never put into effect.
This summer brought record-breaking wildfires across the UK after prolonged hot, dry weather turned much of the countryside into a tinderbox. In August, a wildfire in Stourbridge, West Midlands, destroyed several homes, prompting the prime minister to convene an emergency meeting and impose a temporary ban on disposable barbecue sales — a move critics called too little, too late.
Shrubsole said successive governments have failed to prepare the country for climate change impacts, and called for re-wetting peat bogs, restoring lost farm ponds, and ending the practice of grouse moor owners deliberately burning moorland. Alistair Carmichael, chair of the Commons environment committee, said it was alarming that land adaptation for wildfire risk had not been prioritised, raising questions about whether more resources could have changed the outcome this summer.
New data from the Country Land and Business Association found that more than half of the 29 fire services that responded had no wildfire-specific personal protective equipment. These included Suffolk's fire service, which battled a severe wildfire near the Sizewell B nuclear plant this summer. Standard equipment fails to protect against dangerous gases in wildfire smoke and can be too hot and heavy for such conditions. The data also showed limited specialist training among firefighting staff in several regions.
The Fire Brigades Union is demanding proper protective equipment and training for all firefighters tackling wildfires. A government spokesperson said wildfire preparedness is now a priority, pointing to an upcoming summit with fire service partners and prior funding for national resilience equipment.
