One of the driest springs on record has sparked fears for agriculture and wildlife, while crews ‘work to the point of exhaustion’ to battle forest fires Firefighters have already been working 'to the point of exhaustion' to tackle forest fires during one of Britain's driest springs on record. Getty Images

By Matt Chorley and Tom Moseley
15 May 2011 Ministers are to hold an emergency drought summit in an attempt to avert a crisis caused by one of the driest springs on record. A battle plan will be devised tomorrow, as Britain faces the prospect of hosepipe bans, food price rises and more forest fires sweeping the country. April had just 24 per cent of the average rainfall for the month, while several areas experienced the driest March for nearly 50 years. Firefighters have already been working “to the point of exhaustion” to tackle forest fires, while farmers are warned that if river levels continue to fall the amount of water they can extract for crops may be limited. … Tomorrow, Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will convene a high-level summit to draw up a blueprint for dealing with drought conditions this summer. “We need to be properly prepared for prolonged dry conditions – and anything that can be done now to lessen harm to crops, wildlife or rivers, and to minimise the effect on households, should be done – and done quickly,” Ms Spelman said. … The Fire Brigades Union claims the Government has so far failed to respond to the growing pressure posed by climate change. With fire services facing cuts of up to 25 per cent over four years, the risk of wild fires spreading out of control is growing. Matt Wrack, the FBU general secretary, said: “Increasingly dry and warm weather has created perfect conditions for the huge increase in wildfires so far this year. Fire crews have been working to the point of exhaustion to protect their local communities.” According to the latest statistics from the Environment Agency, just 61 per cent of expected rain fell in the past three months, leading to reduced river levels in some areas. …

Ministers call emergency summit as drought looms