The number of summer wildfires in mid and west Wales more than tripled this year, as the Fire Brigade Union warned its staff are underfunded and ill-equipped to deal with such an increase.

Between May and July, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service tackled 778 grass and wildfires, including one in the Rheidol Valley near Aberystwyth.

This was more than three times the summertime yearly average from 2014 to 2017, Press Association analysis found, as the summer’s soaring temperatures and weeks without rainfall turned grasslands into tinderboxes.

The figures show July had the highest number of fires during the joint hottest summer on record, according to the Met Office.

Across the UK, the number of grass fires increased by 157 per cent in 2018, with almost 25,000 callouts over the three-month period.

Responding to the figures, a spokesman for the Fire Brigade Union said: “The growing risk of grass fires represents another strain on the dwindling resources of fire and rescue services, who are currently experiencing severe budget cuts across the country.

"Fire services do not receive enough funding to respond to an increase on this scale.”

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service did not provide data on whether fires were accidental, however, nationally 70 per cent were started deliberately, where a motive was included.

The mid and west Wales figures did not specify a cause, however in the national data where a cause was stated, 38 per cent were caused by a naked flame, such as candles or matches.

In 17 per cent smoking materials, such as a lighter or cigarette, were the source, and 11 per cent started naturally.

Where a location is listed in the national figures, the most common place was scrub land, with 30 per cent of fires.

In 23 per cent of incidents, the blaze was on grassland or grazing land, while 11 per cent were reported in gardens.

Chris Lowther, operations lead at the National Fire Chiefs Council, called the summer’s weather “exceptional” but added “we can’t ignore the longer-term impact of climate change on fire services”.

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