Public urged to stay away from moors nature reserve after fires

PEOPLE ARE being urged to stay away from a nature reserve which suffered three weeks of devastating fires, while a full survey of the damage is carried out.

Natural England, which manages the nationally important Hatfield Moors Nature Reserve near Doncaster, said the area needs to be thoroughly assessed before it can reopen safely to the public.

It said site staff were carrying out the work to assess damage to tracks, fencing and trees, some of which are likely to require felling.

The fire, which started mid way through the record-breaking dry spell experienced in May, burned for more than three weeks.

The reserve is part of Natural England’s Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve, the largest area of raised bog wilderness in lowland Britain.

And its ancient peatlands, one of the factors which makes the nature reserve nationally significant, were fuel for the fire.

Even now, despite the recent rain, Natural England’s on-site team said there are still a few “smouldering peat hot spots” which have needed to be damped down by staff.

Paul Duncan, Natural England

Yorkshire area manager, said: “The site is still closed and we urge people to stay away until we have carried out a full damage assessment.

“As part of the recovery, we need to repair the damage to infrastructure. Tracks, culverts and water control structures were damaged as a result of the fire, and there are many trees that need to be assessed for their safety.

“The timescales for recovery and restoration of the site are difficult to assess as we don’t know the full extent of the damage yet, however the scale of the impacts are such that it’s likely that restoration work may take years.”

Parts of the nature reserve including Triangle Wood and areas adjacent to Roe Carr have been badly damaged by the blaze.

While the fire was burning, Natural England worked with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue putting in controls such as fire breaks to save the most valuable parts of the site.

“We need to ensure that fire control measures put in place as part of the fire response are built into the future management of the site,” Mr Duncan said.

“We will be consulting about this with South Yorkshire and Humberside Fire Services, Doncaster Council and adjacent landowners as part of a broader recovery plan.”

Mr Duncan said it was thanks to the efforts of the Fire Service and Natural England staff on-site that they were able to save large parts of the Reserve from fire damage.

“Even within the areas where the fire spread, management efforts to re-wet the peat prevented or limited the severity of the damage. This will allow important species to recolonise fire damaged parts of the site as they recover and are restored,” he said.

Natural England said it is in discussions with Doncaster Council and other key partners about allowing limited access to parts of the Nature Reserve before the end of the month. Signs will be put up around the site stating which areas are safe to access and which should be avoided.

Mr Duncan said it is important people are aware of the Countryside Code and warned against having barbecues or fires.

Read the Countryside Code at gov.uk /government/publications/the-countryside-code

It’s likely that restoration work may take years. Paul Duncan, Natural England Yorkshire area manager.