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Rocketing temperatures spark safety warnings





Local ambulance and fire services issued fire safety warnings as grass and heathlands became like tinderboxes.
As temperatures hit 32 degees celsius throughout the south east yesterday (Wed), and with no let up in sight over the next few days, the Met Office issued a Grade Three heatwave health-warning for the region.
The ‘amber’ state of alert warns of particular dangers for the elderly, the very young and those with chronic diseases.
West Berkshire Council’s civil contingencies manager, Carolyn Richardson, said the alert had prompted the council to issue adviceto at-risk groups, including care homes and schools.
This advice includes advice to wear sunscreen and keep out of the sun between 12pm and 3pm, take care during physical exercise, keep in the shade and drink plenty of water.
Similar advice to care homes for the elderly includes keeping curtains and blinds closed, while asthma sufferers were advised to seek medical advice, due to a high pollen count.
Children and pets should not be left in cars, the council advises.
The council’s highways department was also on alert in case of melting tarmac on road surfaces in the high temperatures.
The dry conditions have sent emergency calls spiralling, putting local ambulance and fire services at full stretch.
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) confirmed 46 fires involving grassland, woodland or crops in the two week period between July 1 and 15, for an area stretching from Reading, to Wokingham, Bracknell and Slough - including five in West Berkshire.
This compared to an overall total of four fires last year (2012), applicable to the same period and area.
On Tuesday afternoon, tinderbox conditions caused a bonfire to rage out of control.
RBFBS warnings include carefully extinguishing cigarettes, not lighting open fires in countryside, reporting countryside fires immediately.
South Central Ambulance Services (SCAS) reported a recent hike in 999 telephone calls.
Between July 5 and July 7, SCAS responded to 4,316 emergency calls across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire - 1,138 of which were life threatening situations.
The service issued a plea for only genuine emergency calls, rather than for minor complaints.
Following ten serious motorcyclist collisions this month (July) - one fatal, after a 24-year-old male motorcyclist died, in Langley on July 6 - Thames Valley Police have reminded motorcyclists and drivers to be extra vigilant on the roads and motorcyclists not to ditch protective clothing.
For heatwave health advice, visit www.westberks.gov.uk. For fire safety advice, including barbecues, countryside visits and camping, visit www.rbfrs.co.uk.
West Berkshire Council advised members of the Muslim community who may be fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan to balance food and fluid intake between fasts and especially to drink enough water.



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