Chester under 'very high' danger warning of severe wildfires in summer heatwave

Chester has a 'very high' danger warning of being hit by severe wildfires as the summer heatwave rages on, the Met Office says.

According to a fire severity index map which ranks how dramatic wildfires could become if they started in different parts of the country, Chester ranks fourth out of fifth – 'very high'.

The scale doesn't predict how likely fires are to happen but shows how bad a wildfire could become once it started.

There are five levels of severity, ranging from low to 'exceptional', representing an increasing degree of seriousness – and Chester is currently at 'very high'.

It comes just days after a huge gorse fire engulfed Helsby Hill over the weekend, and another serious grass fire broke out near the town's railway line yesterday.

And two lanes had to be closed on the M56 at Hapsford yesterday, due to a dramatic car fire which quickly spread and set a nearby field alight.

Fire severity warnings are calculated based on temperature, humidity, windspeed and rainfall, all of which can combine to create conditions where wildfires spread.