Nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales are officially in drought, and the Met Office has issued a rare amber extreme heat warning, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-to-high 30s across the Midlands and south-east, and a possible high of 38°C. Fire and rescue services in England and Wales had attended 1,017 wildfires in 2026 by the time of the Cobra meeting, equalling last year’s full-year record-breaking total, according to National Fire Chiefs Council data shared with the Press Association. July alone was the busiest wildfire month on record, with 393 incidents attended across England and Wales, per NFCC National Resilience data.
