Firefighters warn they are still facing huge challenges as wildfires continue to burn with four major incidents still ongoing in England and Wales.

Despite rain being forecast for most parts of the UK making things appear “a little more positive from a fire and rescue service point of view”, crews are still “still dealing with a significant number” of fires, Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan, told BBC Breakfast.

Fire and rescue services in South Wales, Hampshire, Cambridgeshire and West Midlands are all facing major incidents, he warned.

It comes as 19 homes were destroyed and another 18 damaged by a wildfire in Stourbridge, West Midlands last week. Fire crews were alerted to a large grass fire near Stourbridge Golf Club in the Racecourse Lane area on August 13 which spread more than 500 acres and destroyed and damaged homes, forcing residents to evacuate.

In South Wales there are 14 wildfires still burning spanning the equivalent of 400 football pitches.

Drought has been declared in about 70 per cent of the country, putting millions of people under water restrictions and hosepipe bans, just as the UK has entered its fifth heatwave of the year.

The dry conditions and back-to-back heatwaves have created the perfect conditions for wildfires and there are several still ongoing.

The National Fire Chiefs Council said its England and Wales had been struck by 1,017 wildfires this year – the same as last year’s record-breaking total – and at least 458 in July alone.

Between January 1 and August 12 last year, 869 wildfires had been recorded, in what was then the worst year on record. Over the same period in 2022, also one of the worst years for wildfires, the figure was 843.

Firefighters have been battling a major blaze in the New Forest spreading across more than 1.6 square kilometres of land, since 9 August.

The flames spread from the burning vehicle onto the central reservation and then into nearby heathland, travelling south-easterly towards Backley Bottom in what has been described as a "challenging rural location".

According to Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, there is an ongoing wildfire situation in Glenmore and Strath Nethy.

Although the situation continues to improve and the majority of the national park is unaffected, these areas have remained restricted since the fire started several weeks ago on 15 July.

In England, crews from 23 fire stations across Devon battled a blaze which broke out in Beacon Heath on 1 August. Firefighters worked to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading any further.

A heathland fire in Suffolk, just three miles from the Sizewell B nuclear power station, burned an area the size of 210 football pitches. The fire which started on 29 July, has now been stood down as a major incident. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has urged people to stay away from Dunwich Heath.

Another fire in Llanwonno, Wales, which has since been extinguished grew to the size of more than 500 football pitches.

A major incident was declared when the mountain fire raged for days from Saturday, 1 August until the incident was stood down on 7 August.

More than 1,400 acres – the equivalent to 900 football pitches – was burnt in a wildfire at Tintwistle Moor, in the Peak District.

A major incident was declared on 12 July due to the scale of the wildfire and by the beginning of August the alert was stood down.

Plumes of white smoke could be seen as far as Fife when Arthur's seat in Edinburgh caught fire again in July.

Six fire engines were sent to tackle the grassfire and crews worked overnight to get the blaze under control.