West Yorkshire fire chief's funding plea to tackle moor fires

A senior firefighter has joined calls for more government funding to tackle the growing threat of moor fires.

Lee Miller, a district commander for West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, said this year had been one of the busiest on record.

Crews tackled their first moor fire on Marsden Moor near Huddersfield in April with others appearing across the county throughout the summer, including in Silsden and Baildon near Bradford, and East Ardsley near the M1 in Leeds.

Wildfire incidents across England and Wales topped 1,000 for the second year in a row, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

Miller said: "I've been in the service 28 years and dealt with probably handfuls of wildfires in previous years.

"Since 2019 onwards we started to see wildfires occurring in much greater numbers, with larger areas being affected much more frequently due to the climate change."

Miller said the service had adapted using lighter PPE and specialist crews and equipment to tackle wildfires.

He said: "We would welcome any investment into the fire sector and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service to provide extra resource for these types of incidents because our firefighters are extremely stretched.

"As always any extra resource will help as this threat emerges over the next couple of years."

Leeds North West MP Katie White was made climate minister in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's new cabinet.

White is highlighting the need to coordinate efforts to tackle the problem and could lead a wildfire summit on the issue.

She said: "In terms of the land and wildfires, we are looking at how to make sure that we support the land so that there's less likely spread.

"Whether it's around peat or wetting. There are lots of different techniques.

"Then working with our incredible firefighters.

"So that when we do have those fires they have all of the tools necessary to try to curtail the spread of those wildfires."

The National Trust is using re-wetting projects involving sphagnum moss, tree planting and leaky dams as long-term strategies to protect its land.

Others advocate methods of reducing surface vegetation, what they call the fuel load, by controlled burning during the cooler months.

Richard Bailey is from the Peak District Moorland Group which represents 17 grouse shooting estates as well as 50 gamekeepers.

He said: "We need to look at using every tool in the toolkit - which includes re-wetting but it can also include prescribed burns and cutting and grazing.

Most wildfires are caused by human activity, according to the NFCC, whether accidental or deliberate.

The council added: "The impacts of climate change also increases the risk and severity of these incidents."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds , catch up with the latest episode of Look North .

Chief calls for long-term plan to tackle wildfires

Moorland fire which raged for two days extinguished

Moorland wildfire damaged 14,000 new trees