A drought followed by a heatwave which saw devastating wildfires could become the new normal for Norfolk, experts have said.

The warning comes from the National Trust, which has several sites in the county.

Homes and habitats were destroyed as a string of blazes broke out as temperatures soared in July.

Villagers in Ashill, near Watton, and Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast, rallied round to help those whose properties were lost.

Eastern Daily Press: Firefighters survey the aftermath of the blaze which destroyed a dozen homes in Ashill in July Firefighters survey the aftermath of the blaze which destroyed a dozen homes in Ashill in July (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Birds including turtle doves and rare reptiles were destroyed as a wildfire raged through 50 acres of scrub at Wild Ken Hill, near Heacham.

A new record-high UK temperature of 40.3C was recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19 during what became the joint-hottest summer on record.

Eastern Daily Press: A wildfire destroyed more than 50 acres of coastal scrubland at Wild Ken Hill A wildfire destroyed more than 50 acres of coastal scrubland at Wild Ken Hill (Image: Chris Bishop)

Keith Jones, climate change adviser at the National Trust said: “Weather experts predict that the future will see more torrential downpours, along with very dry and hot summers, with 2022 setting a benchmark for what a ‘typical’ year for weather could be like.

"But the ‘new normal’ is also likely to result in even more extreme weather events than now.

Eastern Daily Press: A row of former council houses destroyed by fire at BrancasterA row of former council houses destroyed by fire at Brancaster (Image: Brittany Woodman)

“We’re going to experience more floods, droughts, heatwaves, extreme storms and wildfires – and they will go from bad to worse, breaking records with ever alarming frequency if we don’t limit our carbon emissions.”

There were many losers in the natural world in 2022, including aquatic life devastated as rivers and lakes dried up, to butterflies whose food plants withered in the heatwave.

But many tree species enjoyed a so-called 'mast year', when stress encourages them to produce a bumper seed crop.

Eastern Daily Press: Trees on the Blickling estate in NorfolkTrees on the Blickling estate in Norfolk (Image: Denise Bradley)

Stuart Banks, countryside manager on the Blickling estate in Norfolk, said: "I've never seen anything like it before. This year we had a warm, mild spring, and there were lots of pollinating insects flying around to pollinate all the flowers.

"The stress the trees were then put under by the extreme heat and drought caused trees to ‘flood’ the market – the abundance of seeds is a means of ensuring their genes survive."

The bumper crop is good news for woodland wildlife including squirrels, jays, badgers and mice which will have plenty of food throughout the winter.