'Take minimal and leave nothing' if visiting the Peak District this half-term
It's as a ban is put in place on BBQs and fires across the moorlands
As families across Staffordshire and Cheshire look to enjoy the last bit of the half-term break, there's a fresh reminder to "take minimal and leave nothing" if visiting the moorlands.
Rob Kenning is a Ranger at the Peak District National Park. He said:
"As the weather warms up, people won't see the number of bins and there aren't the facilities here at picking up litter that you might see in urban areas. So I'm really encouraging people to just take home what you bring with you.
"Remember, you're coming to this beautiful space that we all can really enjoy and appreciate - and to respect that and protect the environment that you're coming to: by picking up your litter and taking home what you bring in with you, keeping your dog on a leash, closing farm gates - that kind of thing, no naked flames so that there's no fire risk.
Preventable fires left acres of land in ruins
Rob recalls the damage that can be done from individuals who carelessly lit a barbecue and left it in the National Park.
"15 fire crews for about 10 days, helicopters having to dredge water from reservoirs to douse huge flames. The impact of the burnt Heather in itself and all the carbon released from that and also all the animals that would be affected from having their nest burned from their habitat where they live.
Blazes across the Peak District have disrupted and killed wildlife.
"I walked the perimeter of this wildfire with a colleague and it took us about two hours to walk around it."
Lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and Chinese lanterns has been banned to help prevent wildfires at high-risk locations in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has approved the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering land owned by the Council and all parts of the District that lie within the boundary of the Peak District National Park that are open to the air and to which the public have access.
Councillor Mike Bowen, Cabinet member for Communities, said:
“This Order is coming into force at a good time as Covid restrictions start to ease and we can expect more people to visit the Moorlands. We’ve already seen firefighters called out to blazes and other neighbouring areas in recent weeks.
The majority of fires are caused by careless, thoughtless behaviour and are, therefore, preventable.
Mike added: “We hope that as well as stopping fires, this Order will help to raise awareness of the dangers so that people who visit these locations to enjoy the landscapes think twice about their actions and how to play their part in protecting our natural environment.”
The Order is in place for a period of three years.
Find out more about the wildfires PSPO here.
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