Countryside visitors asked to stamp out wildfire risk and act responsibly

Visitors to the Denbighshire countryside this bank holiday weekend are being asked to act responsibly to stamp out the risk of moorland wildfires.

Denbighshire County Council and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB) are issuing advice following an increase in the number of visitors and campers to popular beauty spots.

AONB Area Manager David Shiel said: “We are excited to welcome back visitors to the AONB after this long period of lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, but we ask that visitors act responsibly and help us keep the AONB a safe and clean place for everyone to enjoy.

“There has been a noticeable increase in camper vans staying overnight at some beauty spots in the AONB.

“This can cause issues for our staff with littering, fire damage and human waste to clear up, especially where no facilities exist.

“Visiting campers are asked to take all waste with them and are encouraged to use private campsites with facilities to minimise the pressures on the landscape and the people who work hard to look after it, farmers and council staff alike.”

Visitors are asked not to have BBQ’s, camping stoves or campfires on the moorland areas of the AONB because of the significant risk of fire.

Denbighshire’s countryside rangers will be putting up fire risk signs at key areas and will be asking visitors to extinguish any fires or BBQ’s that they come across.

“The recent dry weather has left many of the County’s moorland areas tinder dry and at higher risk to wildfire starting,” said Denbighshire Moorland Officer, Graham Berry.

“Wildfires have already happened in South Wales and Ireland this week and we don’t want to see a repeat of the devastating moorland fires of 2018.”

Wildfires on the moorland not only destroy internationally important wildlife, but release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and leave a scar on the landscape.

They affect the livelihoods of farmers, business, local people and increase costs to our emergency services and at worst endanger life.