Emergency phone alert chaos as fire services make plea after being inundated with calls about neighbours' BBQs

Emergency phone alert chaos as fire services make plea after being inundated with calls about neighbours' BBQs Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned last week that Britain is turning into a 'tinderbox' as the severe weather sparks a near-constant parade of wildfires in England and Wales Fire services across the country have urged people not to call 999 to report people having barbecues after services were inundated with messages from nosey neighbours. Millions of people living in England and Wales received a message via the Government's mobile alert system on Friday warning them "not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks". The alert also asked people to call 999 with any reports of a fire. But in the wake of the vital advice, people have been calling the emergency number to report neighbours having barbecues, leading fire services to issue an important clarification. Surrey Fire & Rescue Service was among those experiencing a “high volume” of 999 calls after the warning was rolled out. The service said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that people should only contact emergency services if there is a qualified emergency or a fire "producing significant smoke". A spokesperson for the service said: “Please only call 999 if there is an emergency or a fire producing significant smoke. “We understand residents may be concerned, but we are unable to respond to reports of neighbours having BBQs, bonfires or campfires in their gardens unless there is an emergency.” The service said it supported the Government’s message and advised against bonfires, fireworks, campfires or disposable barbecues in the dry conditions. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service was also forced to issue a clarification after saying it appreciated the "vigilance" from the general public. In a statement on Facebook it asked people to call 999 only if there is “a genuine emergency or an immediate risk to life, property or the environment”. That message was echoed by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who asked for 999 calls only to report “a new emergency”. Nineteen homes were destroyed on Thursday in a wildfire in the West Midlands which spread across more than 500 acres in Stourbridge, with the military called to assist emergency services in south Wales. Several fires were being tackled across the area on Friday, with around 100 personnel deployed, and a further 100 arriving that evening. They were on hand to distribute water and provide logistical support during a record year for fires. England and Wales have seen 1,017, with 11 major incidents declared by fire services in just one 24 hour period starting on Thursday. Phones sounded off across the country on Friday after the Prime Minister warned that "tinderbox" Britain was ready to catch fire and warned the public of a difficult weekend ahead. He said while meeting firefighters in Stourbridge: "I've never seen scenes like this in Britain, where you just see a whole house gutted, smoldering. "We have to face up to the changing climate (...) there's no point denying where we are. We need to face up to it. We need more clean energy."