Chloe Hughes
West Midlands

Councillors in Dudley have been warned that reductions to grass cutting services could lead to a risk of more fires.

Two years ago it was announced that the council's environmental department had shaved £9m from its spending to preserve budgets for statutory services like adult social care.

During a cabinet meeting on 13 August, which happened as fire services battled the huge blaze in Stourbridge, Reform UK councillor Rob Clinton asked the ruling Conservative group about this decision, which saw the number of times verges were cut halved.

Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the council’s financial position had improved and £1m was being reinvested into the service.

"We’re all aware of climate change, we are all aware of grass verges getting out of control, we are all aware of leaves on roads and people know people smoke and throw a cigarette out of the window," said Clinton.

Lee Blakeman
BBC Radio Stoke

The secretary of Goldenhill Working Men’s Club, which has been assisting people affected by the fire in Stoke-on-Trent, has criticised the city council for its response so far.

Jeff Burgess hit out at the authority after he was asked about the impact of the blaze and where people could make donations.

"The support from the council has been pretty much non-existent,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.

Image source, PA Media

Burgess said the club and community centre had temporarily stopped receiving donations until they could get in touch with residents affected to find out what they need.

Jane Ashworth, leader of the authority, said staff had been at the site supporting residents and working with community organisations.

Anyone who was displaced by the fire and requiring emergency housing support has been assisted, she added, with hotel accommodation “provided where necessary”.

In an update on Monday, the National Fire Chiefs Council said 1,132 wildfires had been recorded across England and Wales in 2026 so far - a record high for the period.

Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said emergency services were now beginning to see incident numbers drop, which was "welcome news".

However, he said the UK was "not out of this yet", telling BBC Breakfast that there was the chance of further hot spells in September.

Bob Hockenhull
in Stourbridge

Sarah said her daughter Thea, 11, spotted the fire in Stourbridge in the fields near their home.

"It was horrendous, absolutely horrendous to see the fire coming in from the side and there were other fires sparking up, because it was windy that day," Sarah said.

"The embers were carried and started fires in different areas."

The family's home escaped damage, but Sarah said it was "heartbreaking" to see the impact it had on others, adding: "I feel so sorry for everyone who has lost their homes."

Asked about the community response and the money raised for those affected, she said: "I think it’s amazing. I’m proud to be a Stourbridge person."

Sarah said residents would recover from the disaster because the community was "strong and resilient".

"We’ll all pull together," she added.

During her visit to the Midlands, Angela Rayner saw the devastation for her self, describing it as "absolutely horrendous".

However, she praised the community response.

Some clubs and community centres opened their doors for those affected, while others collected donations or led crowdfunding efforts.

"The community have been exceptional, looking out for each other," she said.

Alice Cullinane

Fire services in the region have been quick to praise the efforts of farmers, who managed to stop some fires from spreading .

Using heavy machinery, some farmers in Stourbridge drenched crops, while others dug a furrow to create a firebreak.

Daniel Pardoe described how he had worked with about 20 other farmers and local residents from Stourbridge to help contain the blaze on Thursday.

They used a sprayer on the flames, while other farmers with cultivators drove close to the fire to create firebreaks with the support of colleagues on foot.

"It was stressful and hot but we knew we could get back - we'd made sure there was access and ways out," he said.

"We were working to a plan in making sure we were doing something sensible and not doing anything too daft.

"There were also locals out here with hosepipes.

"It's been a huge community effort, not just with the fire itself, but ever since... it's been amazing what's been going on around here."

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 ofBirmingham, 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 Heatharea 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".