Aug 12 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee on Wednesday to discuss measures to tackle extreme heat, wildfires and drought, his office said, as Britain faces its fifth heatwave this year.
Temperatures are likely to hit around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from Thursday across southern and eastern England and parts of the Midlands, the country’s meteorological office warned on Tuesday.
Fire chiefs say they have responded to 966 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including 185 in the first 10 days of August alone, while the farming industry has warned of a hit to production.
“We will continue to take the action needed to keep communities safe, protect water supplies, support farming communities and safeguard the environment,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Most of Britain is experiencing a flash drought caused by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures. England and Wales recorded their driest July in 190 years, the Met Office said.
Around 45 million people in the country are living in a drought-hit area and 27 million people are facing restrictions on their water use, according to government figures.
An estimated 2,877 people in Britain have died from heat-related causes this year, UK health authorities said last month.
Prolonged dry weather — which scientists say is exacerbated by climate change — has hit agriculture, public water supplies and wildlife.
(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Andrew Heavens)
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