CITIES must be cooled with more trees, grass and plants in the face of growing heatwave danger, the government has been urged.

The Woodland Trust, the Horticultural Trades Association and the Royal Horticultural Society are calling for decisive action to maximise “green infrastructure” in urban areas, amid a summer in which Britain has already seen two record-breaking heatwaves.

A Manchester study found that concrete in full sun reached 40°C, while grass only reached 23°C, with tree shade bringing temperatures down by up to 12°C.

HTA chief executive Fran Barnes said: “Green infrastructure is not a nice-to-have, it is essential climate infrastructure.

“If we want places that are safer, healthier and more liveable in extreme heat, we need to plan, grow and plant the trees and green spaces that will protect communities in the decades ahead.”

Andy Egan, of the Woodland Trust, warned that millions of people live in “tree deserts” without enough cover to protect them from heat and ill health, and called on the government’s tree action plan to prioritise planting in these areas.