DORSET’S dry spell has led to a sharp increase in wildfires over the past five weeks, shock figures have revealed.

The county brigade has already attended one hundred grass and heathland fires since April – a rise of nearly 37 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Firefighters, who have asked for the public’s help to bring an end to the increase, have released graphic aerial shots – taken from the Dorset Police helicopter – to illustrate the devastation these wildfires can cause.

The shots, of Poole’s Canford Heath, highlight an area of charred heathland the same size of 15 football pitches.

This protected heathland could take up to a quarter of a century to fully recover from the damage, according to wildlife experts.

Investigators have not ruled out arson as a cause of the blaze which took hold on the heath last week and saw 65 firefighters working to stop it spreading further.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service Poole and Hamworthy district commander Phil Allen said: “The term wildfires may well conjure up scenes of devastating forest fires in Australia of the US or more recently across the UK, but the term is now internationally recognised as any fire in the open such as crop, heath or embankment fire which is anything other than a controlled fire or bonfire.”

Firefighters say careless disposal of cigarettes, or bonfires and BBQ embers is all a wildfire needs to ignite.

The high winds and dry weather can easily lead to a large area ablaze. In some cases the flames can consume the heathland quicker than a man can run.

Mr Allen warned arsonists to “think long and hard” about the consequences of their actions.

He added: “I cannot stress enough how important it is to take extra care when enjoying our heaths and open areas.

“If you are a smoker, extinguish your cigarettes fully before disposing of them. Never ever just throw them away lit, like from car windows – the result could be 50 or 100 firefighters tackling the subsequent blaze.”