I spent the evening at the Town Hall supporting people who had been evacuated from their homes due to the fires in Stourbridge. I heard some devastating stories from people who have lost everything in mere moments.

Thankfully there are no serious casualties, but the recovery from these fires will be long lasting.

I’m grateful to all the fire crews who put their own lives on the line to fight the fires, to the police and ambulance services, Dudley Council for coordinating evacuations, accommodation and support, Network Rail staff for supporting with fires on the nearby railway, and to members of the public, local businesses and organisations who came together to support our community.

But as a Government we need to act urgently to mitigate the impact of extreme heat and climate change as these events increase in frequency. I’ve spoken to Andy Burnham’s team and stressed that we need to do much more.

The surrounding area remains closed and travel by train will be impacted today. If anyone affected by the fires needs help or support, please do contact my office and my team and I will do all we can to help. Stay safe Stourbridge.