Northumberland revealed among most garden fire callouts in 10 years - which region comes top

With sunny weather forecast this weekend for Newcastle and the wider region, people have been warned of the dangers of garden fires if they leave barbecues unattended.

According to research by insurance company Confused.com, Northumberland is in the top 10 for most garden related fires over the last decade.

The insurance company analysed outdoor incident report data from Fire and Rescue Services across Britain  which showed that  Northumberland had 103 garden fire callouts per 100,000 residents in the last decade.

The warning comes following the  devastating wildfires reported across the UK during the recent string of heatwaves, causing residents to flee their homes.

Jessica Willock, home insurance expert at Confused.com said: "Within recent years, this summer being no exception, we’ve seen unprecedented temperatures - seeing the rate of garden-related fires, and therefore wildfires, rise.

“In fact, by May this year, the UK had already surpassed the total number of wildfires seen in 2021.  However, as most aren’t used to these soaring temperatures, we may not be aware of the dangerous situations we could be putting ourselves in.”

Top 10  counties in the UK that receive the most garden fire callouts in the last decade

1. Bedfordshire - 181 callouts per 100,000 residents

2. Inverclyde, Scotland - 152 callouts per 100,000 residents

3. Buckinghamshire - 144 callouts per 100,000 residents 

4. Surrey - 107 callouts per 100,000 residents.

5. Hertfordshire - 104 callouts per 100,000 residents

6. Northumberland - 103 callouts per 100,000 residents

7. Greater London - 101 callouts per 100,000 residents

8. Merseyside - 94 callouts per 100,000 residents

9. Oxfordshire - 87 callouts per 100,000 residents

10. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly - 82 callouts per 100,000 residents.

What can I do to prevent garden fires?

According to Confused.com, there are everyday precautions that we can take while enjoying the hot weather. This includes:

• Disposing of cigarettes appropriately. Cigarettes that have not been properly extinguished may start a fire on the smallest bits of dry grass.
• If having a barbecue, make sure it’s never left unattended. Barbecues should be on a flat surface, away from any trees, plants or sheds. It is also recommended using approved barbecue fuel or fire lighters - never paraffin.
• Ensuring there is no glass on the floor. Glass left on dry grass could start a fire by magnifying the sun. If you see dry grass smouldering, call 999 and report it immediately.