EMERGENCY ALERT: Why phones across Wales just sounded, and what the wildfire warning says

Phones across Wales and the rest of Britain sounded on Friday afternoon as the UK government issued a Severe Alert warning of a very high risk of wildfires nationally.

The alert tells residents, landowners and visitors not to undertake any activity that could start a fire, “including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks”.

“Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk,” the alert says, telling people to report signs of fire immediately by calling 999.

In Wales the alert went out bilingually, with the Welsh-language version landing first and the English message following minutes later, a gap that left some non-Welsh speakers initially unsure what they had received.

The emergency alert system overrides silent settings with a siren-like sound and is reserved for situations involving an imminent risk to life, and has been used sparingly since its 2023 launch.

The alert came hours after disposable barbecues were banned from sale across Great Britain, with the UK government saying the product poses a “significant risk to the public” in the current conditions.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned earlier on Friday that “Britain is a tinderbox right now”, with 37 fires burning across England and Wales, four of them major incidents.

“We’re going into a difficult weekend, please just think about the situation that we’re in,” he said. “Setting a fire in any outdoor setting of any kind is a risk to other people’s homes, it’s a risk to other people’s lives, don’t do it, please don’t do it.”

The ban went further than the Welsh Government had said it could go, with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth backing a voluntary halt on Thursday while saying an outright ban was not within its powers.

It also followed Swansea Council urging people to leave disposable barbecues at home, with fields, parks and farmland across Swansea and Gower described by the council as extremely dry.

The whole of Wales has been in drought since the end of July, after the driest July for 190 years brought just 8% of the country’s average rainfall.

Swansea has seen the fire risk at close range, with flames breaking out on Kilvey Hill above St Thomas homes last month, the third fire on the hillside in fifteen months.

The alert points people to gov.uk/alerts for more information.

Anyone who sees signs of fire should move to a safe location and call 999 immediately.

The forecast keeps the region hot and dry into the weekend, with the warning in force as families head for beaches, parks and open country.