Suffolk heat wave and fire warnings for Ipswich parks

Ipswich Borough Council said that their parks team are "doing a fantastic job" despite the challenging times and expect the parks to recover when more regular rainfall returns.

The town is widely recognised for its brilliant selection of parks around the town, and is also recognised as a tree city of the world.

The grassland in Christchurch Park (Image: Lucy Taylor)

But with what is being recognised as the fourth heat wave and a drought now declared parks across town are struggling.

Councillor Stefan Long, portfolio holder for environment and sport said: "Like many areas across the country, Ipswich’s parks and open spaces have felt the effects of the recent hot and dry weather, with grass growth slowing significantly and many areas turning brown.

"However, grass is remarkably resilient, and we expect it to recover once more regular rainfall returns.

“Our parks team is doing a fantastic job managing our green spaces during these challenging conditions. We are being especially vigilant with our young trees and newly planted stock, which are under the greatest stress from prolonged periods without rain. We have watering programmes in place for young and donated trees, to help during the dry weather.

Councillor Stefan Long, right, served as Mayor of Ipswich last year (Image: Newsquest)

“We would also encourage residents to play their part where they can. Something as simple as pouring any leftover drinking water onto a nearby young tree, rather than throwing it away, can help during periods of drought.

"We are also asking the public to ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and disposed of responsibly and to not use barbecues in our parks and open spaces, as these can quickly lead to grass or wildfire incidents.

“Despite the challenging weather, our parks remain well cared for and continue to provide valuable spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy, including our popular splash pads for cooling off in the warmer weather."