British farmers fear fire as heatwave creates 'tinderbox'

Wildfire is now an over-riding concern for many farmers, who are taking extra precautions to stop fires spreading as the hot spell continues"It's like a tinderbox out here," says Lesley Chandler, looking down at parched fields where bleached-out grass struggles through baked, stone-hard earth. "Just a spark could set it all alight."Chandler farms 200 acres of arable land in Oxfordshire, where there has been virtually no rain for weeks. Pastures that would normally boast grass nearly a foot tall have instead a thin cover of dried-out vegetation. Continue reading...