Don’t play with fire
WITH summer fast approaching, The Wildlife Trusts has renewed its call to prevent wildfires, after vast swathes of the countryside went up in smoke during April’s hot, dry spell. In Surrey alone, almost half of the rare heathland at Ash Ranges was lost to a blaze that also killed the Dartford warblers and woodlarks nesting there, as well as smooth snakes, sand lizards and heath tiger beetles.
The trusts’ fire-safety recommendations— from choosing a picnic over a disposable barbecue to bringing litter home and lighting barbecues or campfires only in authorised locations—are obvious, yet surprisingly overlooked. ‘Anyone who feels concerned about potential fire risks, for example [because they see] people using a BBQ in an area where they shouldn’t be, should call the police on the nonemergency number 101,’ says James Herd, director of reserves management at Surrey Wildlife Trust. If you see smoke or flames, however, you should go somewhere safe, then call 999.