The driest spring for 100 years and a prolonged period of baking temperatures has left farm fields starved of water and sparked fires which can spread rapidly - putting livestock, crops and people's homes and safety at risk.

The National Fire Chiefs Council reported more than 560 wildfires this year before the end of June, while data from insurance firm NFU Mutual shows the increasing cost of farm fires reaching £110m in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 37pc.

Farm........

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