Fire crews fight Pennine wildfires

Fire crews are battling two major moorland fires in the Pennines.Smoke from the moor fires drifts across the Pennine landscapeAbout 65 firefighters are tackling the first blaze, which has engulfed 11km (7 miles) of Rishworth Moor near Ripponden in West Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Dales on fire alert as moorland dries out

Access land in the Yorkshire Dales could be closed this weekend if the fire risk rises any further.Firefighters tackle a moorland blazeThe Fire Severity Index issued by the Met Office stands at level four – high – for the whole of the national park.

Fear of buzzard attack forces race route change

Organisers of a Lakeland race have altered the course – because of fears competitors will be attacked by buzzards.The Garburn Trail Race has been shortened by a kilometre to avoid an area where a pair of nesting buzzards with a fierce reputation have made their home.

'Housebound' walking guide claimed disability benefits

A man led guided walks in Cumbria and Scotland while claiming benefits for a condition which kept him indoors.Eric Alistair Wallace received £8,804 to which he was not entitled.

Lantern walkers will light Malham night

A famous Yorkshire landmark will be aglow this weekend as a summer-long festival starts.Malham CoveMalham Cove, the 80m (260ft) limestone crag, is the venue for a torchlit walk to launch the Yorkshire Dales national park’s Hay Time Festival.

Public body to take over Cairn Gorm railway company

The financially troubled Cairn Gorm funicular railway will be in public hands after development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise agreed to take on ownership of the operating company.The Cairngorm funicularZoe GriceThe controversial railway, the construction of which was opposed by the Cairngorm Campaign, was opened in 2001.

Cavers 'died trying to escape' flooded system

An experienced caver and his novice colleague probably died because they tried to escape from a flooded cave, rather than staying put, an inquest heard today.The entrance to Long Churn CaveEngineer Caroline Fletcher, 28, perished on her first trip underground in the Yorkshire Dales.

Walkers urged to take care to avoid wildfires

Fire risks in England’s national parks are expected to lessen as cooler, wetter weather moves across the country, but many areas remain on a ‘high’ level and prone to wildfires.Moorland fires: devastating to the environmentBritain’s Met Office now produces a Fire Severity Index, and rights to roam are automatically suspended when this reaches its highest mark: level five – exceptional.

Dales cave-death inquest to open

The inquest into the deaths of two cavers will take place tomorrow.The entrance to Long Churn CaveCaroline Jane Fletcher and Stuart John Goodwill perished in Long Churn Cave, Selside, in the Yorkshire Dales on the night of 27-28 December 2007.