Prime minister visits West Midlands after serious fires

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has visited the West Midlands today where several serious fires have broken out across the region during the hot and dry weather.

The prime minister said he wanted to reassure residents that he would do "everything he can" to support them, as he praised the emergency services for their work in recent days.

Emergency services have been helping people, closing off unsafe areas and checking buildings.

West Midlands Fire Service said crews were making progress in tackling the fires.

The ambulance service said 19 people were taken to hospital after fires across the region.

One of the most serious fires was in Stourbridge. Dudley Council, which covers the town, said between 250 and 300 people were moved from their homes to keep them safe.

West Midlands Fire Service said crews were "tactically working" across several areas in Stourbridge.

Fourteen crews were still there, putting out hot spots and watching areas that could catch fire again.

Richard Stanton, assistant chief fire officer, described the situation as "vastly improved" from Thursday afternoon.

19 houses have been destroyed and 18 damaged by the fire in Stourbridge, with the incident covering an area of approximately 500 acres.

Another fire, in Pershore in Worcestershire, is now out.

Alex Hustwayte, station commander at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The crews are here just checking for hotspots, making sure the fire hasn't spread to any other gardens and reassuring residents."

He added: "We're certainly in a busy period at the moment. The area is particularly dry, we haven't had a lot of rainfall and our crews are being stretched.

"But, just to reassure the public, we have adequate resources and we can respond to all emergencies."

The fires come during the UK's fifth heatwave this summer.

Fire chiefs say England and Wales have already seen more than 1,000 wildfires this year. That includes one in the New Forest, which began on Sunday 9 August and was still being tackled by firefighters on Friday.

A wildfire is a fire that spreads through outdoor areas such as grass, fields, bushes or woodland.

In Stourbridge, the flames spread from grassland towards homes.

People are being asked to follow advice from emergency services.

Speaking to reporters in Stourbridge, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said they were tackling 37 across the country, including four major incidents with the military sending 100 personnel to south Wales.

He promised more help to emergency services and said an emergency meeting had been held to co-ordinate the government's response to the situation.

"There's thousands of firefighters out there today doing back-breaking work, in full kit, in the most difficult conditions," the PM said.

Adding that he wanted to: "Come away from this and give them all the extra resource they need to make this more bearable."

The PM also said that firefighting planes will be made available in future, saying: "That obviously wasn't available [in Stourbridge], but it will be available elsewhere, and it would have made a difference."

A temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues has also been issued by the government.

The single-use barbecues "have been the cause of a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months", according to advice published online by the government.

"Disposable barbecues cannot be considered a safe product in the context of the ongoing weather and environmental conditions and must not be made available for sale either in store or online at the current time."