Brigade’s ‘holey hose’ bids to avoid east London wildfires repeat

Residents and park goers have been urged to “behave responsibly” to avoid a repeat of “devastating” wildfires that destroyed homes in east London.

Wennington, a small village near Rainham, was hit by a severe wildfire on July 19 in 2022, when 16 homes were destroyed and around 100 firefighters had to attend.

On July 10, London Fire Brigade (LFB) and political figures attended Wanstead Flats and urged people to avoid using disposable barbecues, to cut long grass in gardens and properly dispose of litter this summer.

In 2018, Wanstead Flats was the scene of a huge grass fire the size of about 100 football pitches.

The LFB demonstrated the “holey hose” on Monday, a new piece of equipment with holes drilled into a regular firehose to quickly distribute water into the ground over a large surface.

Fiona Twycross, London’s deputy mayor for fire resilience, welcomed the holey hose but said people needed to be diligent.

“We never want to see a fire like the one that devastated the village of Wennington.

“If people behave responsibly during warm weather it’s much less likely that we’ll see devastating fires like the one that basically burnt a whole village to the ground,” she said.

Fiona Twycross, deputy mayor for fire and resilience, said she did not want to see a repeat of the Wennington blaze. (Image: George Hayes)

Ms Twycross added that City Hall has had to bring forward planning for the impact of climate change due to a faster-than-expected rise in global temperatures.

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Dom Ellis, LFB deputy commissioner, said that long grass could pose a risk and urged local authorities to keep on top of vegetation management.

“I’m sure you would have seen the devastating effect wildfires had to residents in Wennington and Dagenham, many of whom who lost their homes,” Mr Ellis said.

Mr Ellis said local authorities must keep on top of vegetation management and urged residents to do the same. (Image: George Hayes)

“We’re saying to local authorities that you’ve got to stay on top on your vegetation management, your undergrowth.

“If you don’t keep on top of it and that fire load is still there, there’s still that fire risk,” he added.

Mr Ellis stressed the importance of homeowners with gardens backing onto parks to keep them tidy, maintain grass at a low length and remove any rubbish.

When asked about landowners who do not follow the rules by burning waste on their property and others who ignore advice, Mr Ellis said: “Quite simply if people are being irresponsible, we need to work with the local authority to make them be responsible.”

Ben Murphy, chairman of Epping Forest and commons committee for the City of London, urged people to enjoy their summer but said it must be done sensibly.

“We don’t want to fine people,” he said. “We are up against a huge challenge with climate change – it is not simply fixed.

“People, human behaviour, can have a huge difference.

“It is not an east London only problem, it’s a problem across the United Kingdom,” Mr Murphy added.

Ben Murphy, chairman of Epping Forrest and commons committee, said that climate change posed a huge challenge in east London and beyond. (Image: George Hayes)

He said that people are encouraged to bring a picnic instead of disposable barbecues, which can pose a significant fire risk.

The LFB also warned against having barbecues on balconies and Mr Murphy added that having open fires so close to major properties created a major issue.