The Guardian

• Wildfire near Sizewell nuclear plant causes ‘total devastation’ to Suffolk landscape

  Emergency crews say situation remains ‘dynamic’ as more than 100 firefighters battle Dunwich Heath blaze

  A wildfire near Britain’s biggest nuclear power station has caused “total devastation” to one of the UK’s most important landscapes, as fire crews said the situation remained “dynamic”.

  More than 100 firefighters have been battling the blaze on Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, on the Suffolk coast since Wednesday evening. The fire service said on Friday afternoon the situation was stabilising but remained a “major incident” that was “dynamic and potentially changeable”.

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• Country diary: Pity the poor limpets – must the summer holidays mean they get smashed by a child? | Sara Hudston

  Lyme Regis, Dorset: Busy beaches can be bad news for shellfish. If curious children don’t know they are live creatures, then let’s educate them

  My favourite beach at Lyme Regis is the capricious East Cliff, visible only at low tide. The best way to reach it is down a 114-step walkway.

  The path drops through rough scrub, a feral mix of wild plants and garden escapes, sizzling with grasshoppers. Buddleia flourishes next to sallow bushes, hazel and gorse. Sour blackberries are already reddening among the brambles and somewhere in the tangle, a stonechat calls. The sound, like two dry pebbles clicked together, echoes the faint tap of fossil hammers audible from the beach below.

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• ‘Extremely scary findings’ show climate crisis is supercharging Europe’s wildfire weather

  Latest study says global heating has made hot, dry and windy conditions in Spain at least 20 times more likely

  The extreme heat and drought stoking huge wildfires in Spain and France were made far more likely by the climate crisis, a scientific analysis has found.

  Global heating made hot, dry and windy weather at least 20 times more likely in Spain and twice as likely in France, experts from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium calculated. The finding is the latest to pin the blame for the continent’s sweltering and deadly summer firmly on the heating caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal.

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• ‘It’s too fast, too big’: speed of climate crisis is devastating crops, say farmers

  Drought and extreme heat are killing plants, driving up prices while also making some farms economically unviable

  “It’s a constant battle,” says Tim Young. He and his family have been tracking the rainfall on their Norfolk farm since 1976, and the data shows the last six years have seen two-thirds the amount of rain compared with previous years. The lack of water has become the number one risk to Young’s business.

  This summer has seen record-breaking climate induced heatwaves scorch much of Europe, which combined with droughts and “apocalyptic” wildfires has made farming virtually impossible. France has faced down fires that its president, Emmanuel Macron, called the worst since the second world war and on Wednesday half of England was declared officially in drought, with July expected to be the driest on record after winter floods, according to the Environment Agency. So how are farmers bearing up under the pressure?

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• ‘It’s all right for them’: private schools and golf courses stay green despite England’s hosepipe bans

  As parks turn brown and paddling pools go unfilled, exemptions mean sports pitches can stay lush – even in school holidays

  After multiple punishing heatwaves, and no rain in parts for over a month, it seems the whole of the south of England is golden brown.

  But by Hammersmith Bridge in Barnes, south-west London, there is the unmistakable scent of damp soil. The playing fields of St Paul’s school, where fees are up to £57,000 a year, are a bright, lush green.

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