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Heatwave putting British wildlife at risk, National Trust warns

THE prolonged dry weather is damaging British wildlife, the National Trust will warn today as the Met Office issued another “extreme heat” warning in parts of England and Wales. 

The charity will say today that sites it cares for across the country are struggling to cope with the record high temperatures, with lichen and mosses in the temperate rainforests in Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor shrivelling in the heat. 

Bats were found disorientated and dehydrated in Wallington, Northumberland, during the hottest days, while wildfires had also broken out at beauty spots in Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk. 

The trust has warned that the heatwave and dry conditions must serve as a wake-up call to cut greenhouse gas emissions. 

It comes at the Met Office issued yesterday a four-day amber warning for extreme temperatures from Thursday to Sunday. The forecaster predicts temperatures to soar to 35°C in parts of England and Wales. 

National Trust climate change adviser Keith Jones said that the charity was taking action to make its sites more resilient to future temperature shocks. 

He also urged the next prime minister to prioritise cutting emissions as the next round of climate talks approaches in November. 

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