Fire Risk High On Dry Moorland

Recent dry weather has left moorland in northern England a potential tinderbox with fire crews near Bolton fighting grass fires at the weekend.

According to this story on thisislancashire.com, the fires in the Bolton area were started deliberately, mostly by children. They come soon after a serious moorland blaze near Darwen apparently caused by a discarded cigarette.

Meanwhile some access points in the Peak District National Park were furnished with signs warning walkers and visitors to be careful with 'naked flames'. It's extraordinarily dry for the time of year and the parched heather burns easily and fiercely. Here at OUTDOORSmagic, we reckon most of the naked flames out there belong to smokers. Is it about time that smoking was banned from the summer hills?

It may seem like an restriction of personal freedom, but the damage caused by moorland blazes can be significant and, in some cases, long lasting. In the peaty environment of the Dark Peak, for example, blazes can smoulder underground for weeks and re-growth can take months or even years...