Firefighters tackle a blaze on open access land in West Yorkshire

Land managers in charge of more than a fifth of moorland in England and Wales have called for a change to the system that triggers closure of access land to walkers, in the wake of widespread wildfires.

The Moorland Association said the Met Office fire severity index was ‘pitifully inadequate’ and appealed to the public to stay off the moors while they were in their tinder-dry condition.

Much of England and Wales’s moorland is designated open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, but landowners and managers can deny access when the fire severity index reaches the exceptional category – level five – though the law permits walkers, cyclists and horse riders to use appropriate public rights of way across the land, even when the index is at level five.

Parts of North, South and West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, north Wales, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and much of the east Midlands did reach exceptional level on Sunday, and the southernmost counties of the group remained at level five on Monday, but by today all of England had dropped below the exceptional level, though many southern counties were still rated at high risk – one level below the category that triggers access-land closure.

But wildfires are still continuing in Berkshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, north Wales and south Wales.

Edward Bromet, chairman of the Moorland Association, which represents owners and managers of heather moorland, said: “We have several square miles of peatland habitat ablaze or burnt, and yet the Met Office system has not reached its top level of ‘Extreme Risk’ to trigger the closure of moors to visitors.

“It’s like having a fire alarm in your house that goes off after the fire once everything has been destroyed.  The system is pitifully inadequate and we have been lobbying hard to get the data re-evaluated and the trigger point lowered.”

The association said moorland fires are an environmental disaster because they release tonnes of carbon stored up in the peat soils.

They are devastating for important and nationally dwindling ground nesting birds, such as lapwing, curlew and golden plover, which return to the moors at this time of year to raise their young.

Landscapes are reduced to black, charred eyesores that can take decades to recover, it said, adding wildfires on moorland managed for red grouse are a particular threat as these moors support up to five times as many wading birds as other moorland areas, and are home to a many sites of special scientific interest.

Mr Bromet added: “Many of the fires started so far this year appear to have been completely by accident; perhaps a discarded cigarette, or a barbecue left smouldering.

“But arson is suspected in some cases and there have been arrests. Given the threat to human life, wildlife and livelihoods, the best thing that visitors can do when the conditions are hot, dry and windy, is stay away from the tinder-dry moors altogether.

“Meanwhile we insist that the powers that be put in place a system that works and keeps the moors and their visitors safe.”

Natural England, the Government’s advisory body on the outdoors, said the fire severity index uses information such as wind speed, temperature, time of year and rainfall to produce a fire severity assessment.

Observations taken around the country by the Met Office every hour are used and weather information from the Met Office operational forecast model is used to determine the risk.

Natural England said it is based on a similar approach to the Canadian model, which is also used in other parts of the world.

The index was tested by comparing it against observations of fire severity taken throughout England and Wales during 2003. “Alongside being the most the most accurate index tested, we selected it because it can be used to produce forecasts over the coming days and because it uses a physical approach to identifying fire severity, rather than a statistical approach,” the body said.

In a statement today, Natural England said: “In some parts of the country the right of access to walk on open access land has had to be restricted.

“With dry conditions set to continue it is important that visitors to the countryside do all they can to help prevent the spread of wildfires which can pose a serious threat to lives and property, including woodland and cause long-term damage to wildlife.

“Please respect any local signs or requests by rangers or estate staff to move to another area for your safety, and follow the Countryside Code, which contains useful advice on how fires can be avoided. Check for fire restrictions before setting out on a walk, respect warning signs and never extinguish cigarette ends on the ground.”