Barbecue crackdown following grass fires

A MASSIVE grass fire caused devastation in a West London park last week – the second blaze in two days.

Hounslow Council is cracking down on banned barbecues and open fires after the borough was hit by two massive fires in just two days during the hot and dry weather.

Hanworth Park on Uxbridge Road erupted in flames in the borough’s latest blaze on August 2, which saw around three hectares of grass, trees and undergrowth catch light.

The blaze followed closely on one the previous day, in which roughly six hectares of land erupted in flames. Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines tackled the blaze in Hatton Road on August 1.

The council said a field in the park was badly damaged by the fire on August 2.

Officers and maintenance service GreenSpace 360 have been cleaning up the devastated area, and it is believed the trees, plants and wildlife affected will recover. No one was injured and no properties were damaged by the blaze. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

The authority is urging the public to obey the ban on barbecues and fires in parks and green spaces, and is also asking people not to chuck cigarette butts carelessly and not to leave litter in parks, as items such as glass bottles can magnify the sun’s rays and cause fires.

The council is also introducing a series of measures in efforts to prevent more fires, which will see park workers conducting extra patrols in the parks and looking out for fire hazards. Vegetation is also being cut back and fire breaks in key areas are being doubled in size and reinforced.

Council officers will be carrying out more litter picks to collect items that could start fires and putting up signs to remind people about the dangers of certain behaviours.

Councillor Salman Shaheen, cabinet member for parking, parks and leisure, said he could still “feel the heat coming off the ashes” when he visited the scene of the blaze at Hanworth Park last Wednesday (August 3).

He said: “That this fire was not significantly worse was thanks to the London Fire Brigade and our own teams for their rapid response.

“The brave efforts of those involved have undoubtedly prevented more damage to this important green space. I could also see that the fire breaks we had put in place worked to limit the devastation and so we will be reinforcing and expanding our fire breaks in areas of risk across the borough.

“Fires in Britain’s green spaces will become increasingly common as we feel the impact of climate change, but I want to reassure residents, especially those living close to the parks, that we have robust measures in place to tackle these incidents and are strengthening them further.

“The safety of residents and visitors to our parks is our number one priority. We are doing all we can to prevent further fires.

“Everyone has a part to play in protecting our parks and open spaces.

“We would urge residents and visitors to our parks to work with us, stick to the rules, and keep our parks safe for everyone.”

Hounslow Council has released a video showing the devastating effects of the Hanworth Park blaze on August 2