Moorland fires having 'serious impact' on wildlife

Cornwall Wildlife Trust says the spate of recent moorland and heath fires is having a "serious impact" on wildlife.

It comes after a number of fires on moorland near Millpool, Temple, Bolventor and Blisland over the weekend.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the fires were putting "unnecessary strain on already stretched resources".

Callum Deveney, director of nature recovery at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "All around us, we've been witnessing nature springing into life, which makes the timings of these fires so distressing."

"Ground-nesting species like skylarks will have had nests destroyed, and other species such as adders, lizards and field mice are likely to have perished", he added.

"Whilst it is not yet clear how these fires started, we are deeply concerned that they may once again have been set deliberately by people who aren't considerate of the time of year and the untold damage this can cause to nature."

People have been urged by the emergency services to think carefully, remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity to the police.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the cause of the fires was not currently known.

Investigating officers are appealing for anyone with information which may assist the investigation to get in touch.

A warning has also been issued to landowners, to think of the impacts to the environment and wildlife before burning, especially with the recent dry weather.

In recent days, there have been wildfires elsewhere in England, including in Poole, the Pennines and Cumbria, as well as in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it had dealt with 146 wildfires since midnight on Thursday.

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