Tory cuts mean fire services 'not prepared for wildfires' after 2022 devastation
Fire services have been cut back so much they're "massively" unprepared for battling wildfires, alarming new figures suggest.
The Government has been accused of "burying its head in the sand", despite England recording 267 wildfires a day last summer.
These included a devastating blaze in Wennington, west London, which destroyed nearly 20 houses. Experts believe it started when grass caught fire in a garden as the UK recorded record temperatures.
Latest data reveals the average fire service has had its budget cut by 12% since 2016, with the worst hit - Shropshire Fire and Rescue - down by 19%.
It comes as Met Office found that the risk of wildfires has rocketed, with large swathes of Europe engulfed in flames over the past fortnight.
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Lib Dem environment spokesman Tim Farron, said: “Once again, Conservative ministers are sticking their heads in the sand by slashing fire service budgets, despite the rising threat of wildfires.
"The cataclysmic wildfires in Rhodes are a stark reminder of the damage wildfires can cause, a reminder that the government is choosing to ignore.
"We can’t expect fire services to do all the heavy lifting on their own. Ministers must back our calls for a wildfire defence fund to protect our communities and environment from this growing threat."
Earlier this month a report into the wildfire response by the London Fire Brigade said a shortage of crews and fire engines had hampered the response.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Ministers and chief fire officers often talk about 'resilience' – but they are not providing adequate resources for firefighters to do their jobs.
"Since 2010, more than one in five firefighter jobs have been lost and unprecedented numbers of fire stations have been closed. On the worst day of the fires in 2022, 39 fire appliances were out of action in London because there weren’t enough firefighters to crew them."
And he added: "This is negligence driven by cuts and complacency."
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to keep us safe, including from wildfires. Fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion in 2023/24.
"We work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to continue to improve our response to wildfires and mitigate them.
“Each fire and rescue authority are required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area, including wildfires.”
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