Dry weather sees fire service issue amber wildfire alert

A fire service has warned of an elevated risk of wildfires as warm and dry conditions are set to continue.

The amber alert covers the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) area.

The fire service said dry foliage meant there was "greater risk of fires spreading if something happens to cause ignition".

The service has urged people not to use disposable barbecues or have campfires - which are banned in many areas of Dorset - and to have picnics instead.

A fire in May 2020 destroyed 220 hectares of woods and heathland at Wareham Forest

It also advised people to not attempt to tackle a fire that can not be put out with a bucket of water.

DWFRS said if people see a wildfire they should get to a safe place, note the fire's location and call 999 and, if it safe to do so, "meet firefighters at the access point if you can".

Graham Kewley, group manager at DWFRS, said: "While the warmer weather is welcome after such a wet start to the year, it does mean that foliage will now be dry, and this can result in a greater risk of fires spreading if something happens to cause ignition.

"We would urge anyone going out and about in our beautiful countryside this weekend to take extra care."

An amber wildfire alert is in place for the the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service area over the coming days

The fire service also urged people not to set off flares on beaches, to extinguish cigarettes properly and not to throw them on the ground or out of car windows.

A fire in May 2020 destroyed 220 hectares of woods and heathland at Wareham Forest - thought to have been started by a disposable barbeque, it burned for more than two weeks.

Forestry England said the forest devastated by the blaze would take "decades" to recover.