Fresh calls made for increased investment in the capital’s climate resilience, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

A grass fire at Rammey Marsh, Enfield, in 2022

London’s emergency services have spent over £11million responding to wildfires and flooding alone since 2018, new figures have revealed.

The capital has seen 808 wildfires rage in the last seven years, costing the London Fire Brigade (LFB) more than £5.4m to respond to.

This year alone, there have been 121 wildfire incidents, prompting the LFB to deploy 4,022 personnel in response and costing £766,000.

Meanwhile, the cost of tackling floods since 2018 reached £5.86m this year, including £557,883 for 195 incidents in 2025 alone.

The figures, obtained by London Assembly member Leonie Cooper via written questions to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, have sparked calls for increased investment in the city’s climate resilience.

In August the mayor said climate change was having a “devastating impact on our environment” and that raging wildfires were no longer a “faraway issue” but on the capital’s “doorstep”.

Cooper, the Labour group’s environment spokesperson on the London Assembly, said: “This is not a warning of what climate change might do; this is what it is doing to London today.

“We are spending millions of pounds and deploying thousands of frontline staff just to keep Londoners safe from extreme heat and flooding, that is now happening every year.

“I am proud that the mayor continues to be the greenest mayor London has seen – but continued and urgent investment is needed.

“From greener streets, to cooling homes, to sustainable drainage, London needs sustained investment in climate resilience or the long-term cost to Londoners and impact on our brave firefighters will continue to climb.”

This summer London faced four heatwaves, with Met Office statistics confirming 2025 is officially the warmest season on record for the UK.

It meant that London’s green spaces and woodland was left drier than usual, increasing the risk of a wildfire.

All blazes this summer were started by people, mostly accidentally. Officials have warned that people using potential ignition sources such as disposable barbecues and cigarettes near dry grass make incidents far more likely.

Figures show that since 2018, Havering has seen the most wildfires, with 158 taking place in the borough. This includes the Wennington blaze of 2022, which saw more than a dozen houses destroyed.

The local authority has already seen 37 incidents this year alone, compared to just eight in 2018.

Other boroughs seemingly more at risk include Hounslow, with 49 wildfires since 2018, Enfield with 43, and Bromley and Hillingdon both with 41.

Flooding has also increasingly affected the capital, with the Greater London Authority (GLA) branding flash flooding as the main environmental risk to residents.

Earlier this year Khan warned that more than 50,000 basement properties are at increased risk of floods due to climate change.

City Hall analysis found that floods could affect nearly half of London’s hospitals and a fifth of schools, while Environment Agency data shows more than half a million London homes and businesses at high or medium risk.

Pat Goulbourne, LFB’s assistant commissioner for operational resilience and control, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We know that climate change is having an impact on London’s weather, including increasing the risk of wildfires and flash flooding.

“With wildfires in particular, everyone across London has a part to play to tackle this threat. This includes the public behaving responsibly to prevent wildfires happening in the first place – but also requires landowners to take steps in advance to minimise the harm and damage caused when they do occur, such as the creation of fire breaks.

“We’ve learnt from previous events, such as the summer of 2022, and invested in new equipment and training to help tackle wildfires and we will continue to evolve so that we are ready and prepared for future summers. As the threat from wildfires continues to increase, it is also important that there is continued investment to ensure we have the necessary tools available to address the challenges that lie ahead.”

A spokesperson for Khan told the LDRS: “The climate crisis is having a devastating impact on our environment with extreme temperatures and flash floods becoming the norm, destroying homes, forcing evacuations and posing a genuine threat to life. This isn’t a faraway issue, it’s on our doorstep and I’m determined to do everything I can to ensure the capital is as prepared as possible for the impacts of climate change.

“Working closely with the London Fire Brigade, London Councils and partners, we are taking action to make our city resilient to the effects of climate change and also reducing our carbon emissions to ultimately tackle the crisis, building a better London for all.”

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