Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heat, which has caused wildfires and plunged many parts of Britain into drought.
The prime minister will meet ministers, officials and agencies on Wednesday as high temperatures continue across the UK, with temperatures of ۳۳C forecast and up to ۳۸C on Thursday.
A No ۱۰ spokesperson said the government understood firefighters, farmers and NHS staff were all facing challenges connected to the weather.
It will be the second Cobra meeting this year on heatwaves, after one took place amid high temperatures in June. It comes as parts of the country face their fifth heatwave this summer and the number of days reaching ۳۰C in any year in the UK hits a new record, with ۳۵ days so far beating the ۳۴ days set in ۱۹۹۵, according to the Met Office.
The climate breakdown has been linked to the increasing frequency of wildfires, burning larger areas, across many parts of the world. The “fire wave” under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever experienced, with the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves exacerbating the risk.
A No ۱۰ spokesperson said: “The prime minister will chair a meeting of COBR – the government emergency committee – this afternoon on the UK’s ongoing response to extreme heat, wildfires and drought.
“We know how challenging this summer is proving, particularly for firefighters tackling wildfires, farmers working in drought conditions, and NHS staff in busy A&E units.
“We will continue to take the action needed to keep communities safe, protect water supplies and safeguard the environment.”
Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care, as well as officials from the Environment Agency, will attend the Cobra meeting.
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party, said calling the emergency meeting was “only a first step”, adding: “This is a climate emergency which is leading to hundreds of deaths and stretching our firefighters, health staff and farmers to the limit. What we urgently need is concrete action.
“That must include taxing fossil fuel giants to pay for firefighting helicopters, a cool space in every community, and a maximum working temperature. The prime minister must also commit to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. We cannot negotiate with the science.”
Rare amber “extreme heat” warnings have been issued for London and parts of the south-east, East Midlands, east of England, West Midlands and South Yorkshire from ۹am to midnight on Thursday.
The government urged the public to pay attention to UK health security agency heat alerts and advised people to drink plenty of fluids and check in on family, friends and neighbours who may be at high risk.
The Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: “While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-۳۰s celsius on Thursday brings the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued.”
On Tuesday, Steve Wright, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), warned the country faced an “unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires”. The National Fire Chiefs Council said firefighters have responded to more than ۹۵۰ wildfires across England and Wales this year, including ۱۸۵ in the first ۱۰ days of August alone, while July was the busiest month on record for wildfires with more than ۴۵۰ incidents.
Nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, after a record dry July and very dry start to August has combined with high temperatures to put pressure on water resources.
The FBU warned that in many parts of the country, firefighters do not have the latest equipment to deal with these “flash droughts”. “They do not have the new modern personal protective equipment, the lightweight fire kit that we wear, the right helmets, lightweight helmets, breathable uniforms to make sure they’re better protected, their health is protected when they’re out dealing with these incidents for hours and hours on end,” Wright told Times Radio.
Southern Water has applied for a rare non-domestic drought order that would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It warned that ۱۶۵,۰۰۰ people in the Southampton West supply area could face restricted supplies. The environment secretary, Angela Eagle, will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May ۲۰۰۶.
The government said it had announced £۹۷m in new funding to upgrade national firefighting capabilities, including off-road vehicles and specialist equipment.
