Wildfire concerns raised 12 months after Lickey Hills blaze

About 80 trees were destroyed in the Lickey Hills wildfire in 2022

There are calls for more to be done to prevent wildfires at a country park, 12 months after a devastating fire.

An area of approximately 538,000 sq ft (50,000 square metres) of the Lickey Hills in Worcestershire was burnt and the fire service said a disposal barbecue had probably started it.

Lickey Hills Society secretary Baden Carlson said more should be done to to educate and protect park users.

Birmingham City Council said it had reviewed its plans following the fire.

At the height of the fire, about 60 firefighters battled the flames and hot ash caused another fire, forcing 15 people to flee their homes in Rednal.

With temperatures in August forecast to rise, Mr Carlson said: "We're really concerned because it's been a year since that huge fire at Lickey Hills and there's been nothing done to safeguard the park."

He said the city council, which owns and maintains the country park, should do more to publicise the risks of wildfires and explain how to prevent them.

He also said: "We need a wildfire policy in place and a mobile group of fire wardens protecting the park."

The fire in July 2022 spread to about 50,000 square metres in the Rose Hill area

Birmingham City Council's head of environment Majid Mahmood said plans for dealing with fires on the Lickey Hills had been in place for many years, but they had been reviewed after consultation with Hereford and Worcester Fire Service.

He added: "This year we have upped our public messaging on safe park use, to warn and inform of what irresponsible behaviour can cause at any of our parks or open spaces."

Mr Mahmood said the council had also lobbied for a ban on disposable barbecues.