Heatwave: Warning over children starting deliberate fires

Homes had to be evacuated after a field fire in Feltham, west London

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned of a rise in fire-setting over the summer holidays, with temperatures set to rise to 37C in the capital this week.

The brigade issued the warning after investigators said they believed a large grass fire in Feltham, west London, was started deliberately.

The hot weather has made the ground tinder dry.

Charlie Pugsley, LFB assistant commissioner for fire safety, is asking parents to speak to children.

It comes as the Met Office issued an amber extreme heat warning for southern England from Thursday until the end of Sunday, meaning health, transport and infrastructure could be affected.

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During the heatwave last month, LFB declared a major incident due to the scale and frequency of fires, and last week in Feltham about six hectares of land was damaged by the blaze, which sent plumes of smoke across west London.

While on Wednesday afternoon, 70 firefighters tackled a grass fire on Lambs Lane in Rainham, east London. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Mr Pugsley said: "Whilst the dry and sunny spells of weather will be great for families looking to spend time outside over the summer holidays, it also means that the risk of grass fires is going to increase as the ground becomes drier.

"Talk to your children about how dangerous it is to play with fire, keep matches and lighters out of sight and, if you're worried about a child or young person who has set fires, get in touch with our Firesetters Intervention Scheme."

A woman roller-skating in a parched Hyde Park

On Wednesday afternoon the hottest temperature in the capital was 31.1C recorded at Northolt, west London, according to the Met Office.

BBC Weather forecasts temperatures could reach a high of 37C in London. Although the 40C temperatures experienced in the capital in July will not be matched, the hot weather will be more prolonged.

Currently there is a ridge of high pressure over much of the UK, causing the heatwave.

BBC Weather's Billy Payne said: "Since the start of July nearly six weeks ago, we've only had 0.4mm of rain at St James's Park, and no significant rain is expected through the rest of this week over the South where more hosepipe bans are looming.

"Early next week, there are signs it will turn less hot with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, but the nature of showers means not all areas will see some significant rain."

This Chinese silver fir tree at Kew Gardens has turned red - a sign the heat is killing it

At the Royal Botanic Gardens, in Kew in west London, the director of gardens said their parched grass would recover after a month of normal rainfall, adding that Kew's famous waterlilies were fine in their glasshouses where conditions can be managed.

But not all their plants will survive the summer. A rare Chinese silver fir tree - there are only about 20 in the UK - is being killed by the heat.

On Tuesday, Thames Water announced it would introduce a hosepipe ban in the coming weeks. The firm serves 15 million people across London and other parts of southern England.