Fire chiefs are warning Londoners not to start blazes in their gardens amid heightened dangers that wildfires could spread rapidly.
They are also calling on people in the capital to create fire breaks in their gardens given the elevated risk of wildfires.
Just days ago, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan warned that the threat of French-style wildfires was “on our doorstep”.
Temperatures are forecast to jump towards 33C in the capital on Wednesday, a peak for the week, before starting to cool.
But the threat of wildfires spreading is particularly acute in parts of east and south London, and Kent, given the parched land, high temperatures and lack of humidity.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Tom Goodall said: “We want everyone across the city to enjoy the continuing heatwave but this must be done responsibly.
“The latest wildfire risk assessment indicates that if grass fires were to break out, the chance of them spreading more rapidly due to the weather conditions is greater.”
The LFB is concerned that fires could start in people’s gardens, possibly due to a badly-handled or poorly-placed BBQ.
Mr Goodall explained: “The long period of dry weather has increased the fire risk in people's gardens.
“For those having a BBQ at home, ensure your BBQ is away from flammable materials like dry brush, long grasses, fences or sheds and avoid setting up your BBQ on any decking you may have in your garden.”
Barbecues should be set up “on level ground”, he stressed and should not be used in parks or open spaces, or on balconies.
LFB crews attended 1,345 incidents over the weekend, having had to deal with a number of significant blazes in recent weeks including a major one in Walthamstow which ripped through gardens and damaged homes.
The threat of wildfires reaches right into the city centre, with Royal Parks around Buckingham Palace having been turned into “tinderboxes” by weeks of scorching temperatures.
Royal Parks staff have also been advised not to leave deckchairs under trees over fears branches may fall.
The organisation, which looks after green spaces including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Richmond Park in south west London, said it has taken the deckchair measure as an “additional precaution” during the prolonged dry and hot weather.
A Royal Parks spokesperson said: “We are fully aware of ‘summer branch drop’, when trees can shed branches due to stress from prolonged dry, hot weather, particularly when periods of heat are interspersed with heavy rain.
“Managing a landscape with tens of thousands of trees is complex.
“While it is never possible to eliminate risk entirely, we take active measures to reduce it as far as possible.”
The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat-health for London, the South East, the East Midlands, and East of England.
The alert is in place from Tuesday to Thursday, and the agency warned that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
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