More than 1,000 wildfires have hit England and Wales so far this year, already matching the total for the whole of 2025, which was previously the worst year on record. Rural groups and campaigners are blaming Labour's environmental policies, particularly its extension of rules restricting controlled heather and grass burning on moorland, which they say has allowed dry vegetation to accumulate and turned the countryside into a tinderbox as temperatures reach 38C. Ministers argue the burning restrictions, covering 1.6 million acres of peatland, are needed to protect air quality and public health, but critics including farming and countryside bodies say the policy has removed a key tool for preventing wildfires from taking hold.

The Country Land and Business Association and the Countryside Alliance have both urged the Government to reverse the policy, with the former describing the burning ban as effectively removing "the single-most important method of preventing wildfires". Ongoing incidents include a four-day blaze in the New Forest involving more than 100 firefighters and multiple fires in South Wales, some suspected to be started deliberately. Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called for shops to stop selling disposable barbecues, while Lord Botham has urged the Prime Minister to place Defra into special measures, warning of potential fatalities unless action is taken before the new winter burning season begins on 1 October.