UK unprepared for worsening wildfires, MPs warn

Children fearing for their fathers’ lives, gamekeepers coughing up ash and scorched countryside reveal the devastation caused by wildfires, as MPs demand urgent government action ahead of the next wildfire season.

Evidence gathered by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee highlights the risks faced by farmers, gamekeepers and land managers protecting livestock, property and habitats.

See also: Farmers help out as wildfires spread

Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Two consecutive, record-breaking years of wildfires should be ringing alarm bells in Westminster.

“We need to see government preparing for 2027 now.”

Fire and rescue services have so far attended more than 1,300 wildfires across England and Wales in 2026, way exceeding the total recorded for the whole of 2025.

Despite the growing threat, Britain has no dedicated aerial firefighting capability and no national wildfire strategy.

The Efra committee’s report A burning issue: managing wildfire risk also highlights inadequate access to firefighting water supplies, recommending fewer barriers to constructing on-farm reservoirs and fire suppression ponds.

National wildfire strategy

The committee is now demanding a national strategy to address shortcomings in preparedness, co-ordination and accountability.

Mr Carmichael said: “There are structural issues as well as operational ones.

“Many on the front line do not feel that government has clear processes and lines of accountability.”

The strategy should clarify responsibilities across government and strengthen relationships with those responding to fires on the ground according to the MPs.

“Fires do not respect administrative boundaries, and neither should the response to them,” the committee concluded.

The report recommends stronger co-operation between governments and emergency services, involving farmers and land managers more closely in planning.

Prevention and land management

With most wildfires caused by human activity, prevention is another priority.

“Britain needs a cultural shift that puts us in step with fire-savvy nations such as Australia,” said Mr Carmichael.

Recommendations include public awareness campaigns, temporary disposable barbecue restrictions and enhanced weather warnings.

However, the committee also questioned whether existing regulations are hampering efforts to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risks.

In England, just 24 managed burning licence applications were submitted and only two approved, raising concerns about the accessibility and effectiveness of the licensing system.

The report calls for improvements before the next burning season and a review of the 2025 heather and grass burning regulations once findings from the Ideal UK Fire research programme become available.

It also advocates a flexible approach to land management, combining grazing, cutting, controlled burning and peatland rewetting according to local conditions.

Challenge

The focus on controlled burns to reduce the combustion load has been challenged, however, by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, which is quick to point out that only about 10% of this year’s wildfires have been on heathland or moorland.

It also highlights a 2025 Natural England review of the effects of “managed burning”, which suggests there is “weak evidence” of any direct effect of reducing biomass on wildfire ignition, behaviour, severity or extent on upland peatlands. 

However, the same review concluded that there was “moderate evidence” that the severity and incidence of wildfires may be reduced when wetter conditions are maintained or restored.