Stop calling 999 to report neighbours having barbecues, fire services say

Do not call 999 to report neighbours having barbecues unless there is an emergency; fire services have warned following an influx of calls.

Millions of people in England and Wales received an alert on their mobile devices on Friday evening, warning them of “a very high risk of wildfires nationally”.

The UK’s mobile phone alert system told the public it “should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks”.

The alert was “the most extensive use” of the UK’s mobile phone alert system, Cabinet Office minister Louise Haigh said.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told members of the public to take the warning “seriously” and said it was triggered at the request of firefighters.

Surrey Fire & Rescue Service was among those experiencing a “high volume” of 999 calls.

In a statement on X, the service said: “Please only call 999 if there is an emergency or a fire producing significant smoke.

“We understand residents may be concerned, but we are unable to respond to reports of neighbours having BBQs, bonfires or campfires in their gardens unless there is an emergency.”

The service said it supported the Government’s message and advised against bonfires, fireworks, campfires or disposable barbecues in the dry conditions.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it appreciated the public’s “vigilance”, but in a statement on Facebook asked people to call 999 only if there is “a genuine emergency or an immediate risk to life, property or the environment”.

That message was echoed by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, which asked for 999 calls only to report “a new emergency”.

Four 14-year-old boys were bailed on Friday after being arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire was set on a mountain near Pleasant Heights in Porth, South Wales Police said.

Nineteen homes were destroyed on Thursday in a wildfire in the West Midlands, which spread across more than 500 acres in Stourbridge.

Friday was provisionally a record-breaking 10th day in 2026, when temperatures have exceeded 35C or more, according to the Met Office.

Frittenden, near Ashford in Kent, was among the hottest places, where temperatures reached 35.3C.