Thick smoke seen from miles rises as dozens of firefighters tackle another blaze

The blaze at Hornchurch Country Park comes as Andy Burnham announced measures to respond to wildfires spreading across the UK amid the continued high temperatures and dry conditions.

The Prime Minister has called in the military to tackle a fire in South Wales and introduced a temporary ban on disposable barbecues as he warned Britain is a “tinderbox”.

He also urged smokers to dispose of cigarettes carefully and revealed he plans to commission firefighting planes, like those used to douse flames in Europe and the US, to combat the spread of wildfires.

Speaking earlier on Friday during a visit to Stourbridge to see the impact of a devastating blaze, Mr Burnham warned there are “37 fires smouldering around the country”.

The London Fire Brigade has not commented on the cause of the fire at Hornchurch Country Park in east London.