Chloe Hughes
West Midlands

The Met Office has said some areas of the UK will have the "first meaningful rain in a long time" this week.

It said the rain would begin on Monday, moving down from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards the western parts of England.

The heaviest rain, however, will come on Thursday, bringing the "chance of surface flooding" in places.

"Thursday will be a day of heavy showers across much of the UK, while some of these will be heavy, some areas will miss them altogether,” said Mike Silverstone, the Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster.

By Friday, conditions are expected to turn drier through the weekend, and more rain is forecast next week.

Chloe Hughes
West Midlands

Image source, PA Media

Angela Rayner has said that the government is aiming to develop a fire service that is "able to respond to the challenges that we face", as wildfires become "more frequent".

During her visit to the West Midlands, the housing secretary said: "We’re seeing a pattern here with the wildfires. We're seeing a pattern with climate.

"We have introduced £100m more equipment and we’ve got specialist fire crews now that look at wildfires, and they have been pushed by what's happened."

Rayner added that the government was continuing to "assess the situation with water".

"We’re also pushing the water companies to tackle leakages and investment in our infrastructure that we haven’t seen for a number of decades," she said.

"We’re assessing the risks to make sure that we have the appropriate water supplies that people need."

Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has been visiting the control room at West Midlands Fire Service's headquarters.

She was pictured speaking to fire service officials alongside West Midlands mayor Richard Parker.

Earlier in the day, Rayner was seen inspecting the damaged homes on Quarry Park Road in Stourbridge, after the fire there destroyed 19 properties.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Two people who were arrested in connection with the fire in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, have been released on bail.

Four homes were destroyed and many families were evacuated after the blaze broke out in the Sandy Road area on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday, a 23-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, both from the city, were arrested on suspicion of arson.

In an update today, Staffordshire Police said: "The man and the woman arrested have since been released on bail while our investigation continues."

Lee Blakeman
BBC Radio Stoke

A working men’s club that opened its doors to people affected by the fire in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, has described the situation as "unreal".

Four homes were destroyed in the Sandy Road area after the blaze broke out on Thursday, with dozens of other properties badly damaged.

Many families were evacuated from the estate - some have moved into council emergency accommodation, others have sought refuge at the community centre and working men’s club.

Jake Burgess, secretary of the Goldenill Working Men’s Club, said: "[It’s been] unreal, genuinely unreal. It’s gone from a little bit of smoke in the air to families being in the club... breaking down in tears.

"What can you say to these people? It’s so hard when they’re sat there going ‘my animals, my belongings’. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster."

During the hot weather at the end of last week we saw the worst of the wildfires in the West Midlands, with incidents across the region.

They included:

• In Stourbridge more than 100 firefighters tackled fires in the Racecourse Lane area which destroyed and damaged a number of homes.
• In neighbouring Worcestershire, a number of homes were damaged and 30 properties evacuated in Pershore.
• In Staffordshire, a fire in the Goldenhill area of Stoke-on-Trent saw four homes destroyed and a man and woman were later arrested on suspicion of arson.
• Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service also said six firefighters had to be taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion after battling blazes in the county.
• A major incident was declared in Warwickshire, where fire crews responded to a large fire in Salford Priors, near Stratford-upon-Avon.
• In the Castle Vale area of Birmingham, homes on the street were badly damaged in a fire, causing part of a roof on one building to collapse.
• In Willenhall, three homes and several gardens were destroyed.
• In the Druids Heath area of Birmingham a fire tore through a row of houses.
• In Highters Heath, multiple terraced properties caught fire.

Millie Trenholm
in Pershore

A Wychavon District Councillor says he's been blown away by the support shown to two families who lost their homes in the fire in Pershore last week.

Thirty homes were evacuated and two houses were gutted in the blaze, which started on Thursday afternoon.

Two fundraisers for the families, who've been left homeless, have since raised more than £16,000.

Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene praised the community in Pershore and the surrounding villages for how they have supported those affected.

"This was a devastating fire, but one thing that came out of it was just how much community spirit we have here and how amazing everyone is at coming together at the worst possible time," he said.

"I’m never going to be able to say thank you enough to everyone who was involved."

Katie Thompson
BBC News

In Warstock, in Birmingham, the smell of smoke and charred belongings is still thick in the air.

The six houses which were engulfed by flames are cordoned off - it’s an eerie scene.

I spoke to one homeowner who told me it’ll be at least 18 months before the properties are rebuilt. That’s what they had been told by insurers who were at the scene with them today.

He said as they watched the firefighters tackling the blaze on Thursday, he had hoped it would be brought under control and they’d still have a house to return to. It had been their home for 28 years.

"It’s like going out one day and being told to never come back," he said.

They aren’t allowed back in their home but they were able to grab a few things today. I saw him grab a few essentials from the kitchen, large jars of coffee were still intact.

His partner had a handful of photographs in her hand. She sat in her garden in silence as she pored over them.

Elliott Webb
BBC Hereford & Worcester

A wildfire expert has backed the government's decision to send out an emergency alert to millions of people across England and Wales.

The alert, which sounded a siren on the mobile phones, included a message warning people not to light anything, like barbecues, fire pits, and fireworks, that could cause a fire.

Dave Swallow is a wildfire tactical advisor for the National Fire Chiefs Council and group commander with Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: "I absolutely think the emergency alert was warranted on Friday.

"There is an imminent threat where fires start and people need to be aware of how much risk there is and how fast they spread. We saw that particularly on Thursday afternoon and evening in the West Midlands.

"We've been sharing safety messages and preventative measures with the public for several weeks now and I think this is just the next step and next level in trying to get that message across."

A government spokesperson said the alert was sent "after a direct request from fire and rescue services".

They added it was working closely with domestic abuse charities for tests of the system after some charities raised concerns.

Image source, Getty Images

More now on the possibility of fire services using planes or helicopters to put out fires in the future.

It's a sight we've become used to seeing overseas, where the aircraft carry large quantities of water to tackle wildfires, like the one pictured below in Spain.

But Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said UK fire services were reliant on the support of landowners to access local water sources.

That could change though as they look at "investment in firefighting capabilities", he said, and using aerial support "is something we are in extensive dialogue about".

Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has just arrived in Stourbridge to inspect damaged homes on Quarry Park Road, following the fire that destroyed 19 properties.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

She has previously said her department will hold a summit involving fire chiefs, the National Fire Chiefs' Council, the Fire Brigades Union and "other key organisations", to look at the country's "future response" to wildfires.

Rayner says the government will "do everything to make sure our fire services have the resources they need from us and our support to deal with the unprecedented risks being driven by this heatwave".

Simon Tuhill explained that it had been necessary to declare a major incident on Thursday in order for agencies to work together to tackle the rapidly-spreading blazes.

The force had worked with police, ambulance, Network Rail and "really importantly" the local authority - Dudley Council.

"They work really closely with the residents, they set up a rest centre at the town hall and looked after those residents that couldn't go home on the first night," he said.

"And they'll help direct people into temporary accommodation and liaise with insurance companies.

"Once the investigation is complete we'll provide that information to the insurance companies and, of course, to the residents as well who'll want to know the answers."

Specialist fire investigations teams are working at the sites of Thursday's fires, looking into the causes, says Simon Tuhill, chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service.

Officers are working closely with police forensic teams on the "complex" investigation, he adds.

Image source, PA Media

"The scale of the fire over such a large geographic area, over 500 acres, means that it's going to take us some time to determine the cause," he explained.

"Fires across the West Midlands have been occurring over the past month or so due to the dry conditions, and most of those fires can be attributed to human causes.

"Not all of them have been started deliberately, by any means, but some have."

For example, 40 firefighters were called last week to deal with a West Bromwich blaze, which the force believes was set by arsonists.

"Some of my firefighters had to go to hospital for precautionary check-ups," he explained.

"And that is utterly reprehensible, no firefighter should end up in hospital because somebody has started a fire deliberately".

A Worcestershire councillor has said the blazes in Pershore last week have prompted "wider conversations" over the issue of future fire prevention planning.

Dan Boatright-Greene, who represents the town for the Lib Dems, said: "We've got to get used to this.

"The climate is changing and we're going to see drier spells."

He said that meant people needed to "look at fire prevention a little bit more" and that attitudes also needed to change.

At the county council level, there was a "longer and wider conversation" taking place, he said, but homeowners could take simple steps to prepare for future fires too.

That included preparing an emergency "grab bag" of essentials and important documents.

An emergency alert from the government on Friday night, complete with a siren sound, was the widest use of the system to date.

It said the risk of wildfires was high nationally and urged people to avoid using barbeques, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks - anything with a naked flame.

It said small fires could quickly develop into a major wildfire as the unprecedented hot and dry weather continues.

But it not clear what effect it had on people's behaviour.

Image source, PA Media

Defending the move, government said that on Friday alone crews were tackling 43 wildfires across the country and had declared 11 major incidents, stretching resources to the very limit and requiring military support.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Two boys have been arrested following a large wildfire on Hednesford Hills, near Cannock in Staffordshire.

The pair, aged 12 and 13, are being held on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, Staffordshire Police said.

It came after three acres of land was damaged in the blaze, which broke out at shortly after 13:00 BST on Sunday.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said nobody was injured and an investigation was ongoing.

Group manager Jordan Money said: “I would urge parents to talk to young people about the dangers of setting fires. It is not a bit of fun, it is land damaged, lives put at risk and resources stretched.

"The demand we are facing is extraordinary, and we need all the help we can get in making sure fires are avoided at all costs."

A man who saw homes on his street go up in flames has spoken of his sadness for all those affected.

Robert Jones, from Pershore, witnessed how quickly smoke and flames spread, last Thursday.

"I was very sad for the people that own the house, because it's not the house it's the memories of it," he said.

"If they're gone, they're never going to get it back are they."

Jones's home, on the opposite side of the street, was not damaged, but he said he was worried that if the fire had spread through the trees, more houses would have caught fire.

West Midlands Fire Service is offering extra support to people in the Ladywood area today.

It has invited them to its fire station there and says there will be free clothing available, plus hot drink and biscuits.

The station on Icknield Port Road will be open until 14:00 BST.

Image source, Google

A community group that has been helping residents in Warstock, Birmingham said they had been "overwhelmed" with donations.

Samantha Nash from Solihull Lodge Community Centre said affected residents would be placed in temporary accommodation "so we've got everything ready for them, just to start them off, just to help them".

"We've had to pause donations because we have no space," she added.

"We've had small businesses donate a lot, all brand new, from the local community.

"We walked up and took loads of toiletries, food and water up to Gorleson Road and we were speaking to the families that were stood there still watching their houses in bits, and it was devastating.

"You walk away, you cry," she added, "you can't help but feel so sorry for these families."

Nadine Towell
Reporting from Stourbridge

In Stourbridge, Racecourse Lane remains closed at Norton Road, where properties were destroyed in Thursday's fire.

Image source, PA Media

A helicopter can be heard circling overhead.

The house on the corner escaped the worst of the fire, but there’s visible damage to fencing, windows and part of the house.

But their immediate neighbours’ home was destroyed - that’s how close they came.

There are three vans outside the property this morning, starting the long effort to clear, repair and renovate.

The owners there only moved in a few months ago.