Bank holiday fire warning for North York Moors: Here’s how to reduce risks of wildfires

People visiting the North York Moors this bank holiday weekend are asked to be particularly vigilant due to the recent dry conditions.

A lack of rainfall has led to heather and bracken ground vegetation becoming extremely dry.

With the recent dry weather set to continue into next week, staff from the Authority have been putting up fire risk warning signs at sites across the National Park, advising people how they can help to reduce the risk. The signs will remain in place until the fire risk passes.

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The National Park's Rangers have said that to reduce the risk of wildfires people must do these things:

- Do not light fires or barbecues.

- Do not discard cigarettes, matches or glass bottles, including throwing cigarette ends out of car windows.

- Show extra vigilance is required

They stressed that fires and barbecues are prohibited.

Senior Ranger, Bernie McLinden, said: “Past experience has shown us that under these types of conditions, moorland fires can spread extremely quickly causing significant damage to the landscape and its wildlife.

"It is not unprecedented for fires to occur at this time of year and the majority of moorland fires can be prevented so we would urge people to take extra care when visiting the National Park while the fire risk signs are in place."

If people see a fire, they should report it quickly to the fire service by dialling 999. The period for controlled heather burning on the North York Moors ended on 15 April, which means any sighted fires will be wildfire.