Conditions in the North York Moors are said to be tinder-dry

Conditions in the North York Moors are said to be tinder-dry

National park bosses are appealing to walkers to take care not to start fires accidentally on bone dry moors.

The North York Moors have had very little rain for weeks, leading to a higher risk of accidental wild fires in forests and moorland in the area. Fire warning signs, advising visitors how to avoid starting fires and what to do if they discover one, are being put up around the national park.

Bernie McLinden, the North York Moors National Park Authority’s head of park management, said: “Lack of rain has made the moors very dry and, as past episodes have shown, under these conditions moorland fires can spread extremely quickly causing significant damage to the landscape and its wildlife.

“People should avoid lighting fires and should not discard cigarettes, matches or glass bottles as it only needs a spark to ignite a fire in these tinderbox conditions. If people see a fire, they should report it quickly to the fire service so that they can take the appropriate action.”

Although the fire severity index is currently low or very low for most of the national park, it is forecast to rise over the coming days, reaching moderate level by the middle of next week. Only when the index reaches an ‘exceptional’ level five – the highest on a scale of one to five – will open access land be closed. Even then, public rights of way will remain open.

Station manager Richard Henry of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It’s extremely important that visitors to the countryside take special care to prevent fire. We attend a number of serious fires on moorland every year, and most of these can be prevented.

“Moor fires are difficult to extinguish and can sometimes burn for weeks. This is a huge drain on our resources and causes untold damage to the countryside.”

The advice is not to light any fires or barbecues on or near the moorland area; to put out cigarettes carefully and take all litter, especially glass containers, home. If visitors come across a fire they should dial 999 and inform the fire service immediately.

Much of Britain is due to bask in temperatures of up to 24C this weekend, with mountain-top figures holding at 15C, before colder, northerly winds turn things much cooler next week. According to the Mountain Weather Information Service, “Higher areas of Scotland will then be below freezing point, and at night, frost will widely develop in valleys. Rainfall next week will be negligible, with many mountain areas becoming extremely dry underfoot.”

Persistent snow patches on Scottish mountains are likely to last longer than usual.

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