Countryside blazes spark warnings

Senior officials from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service urged the public to take care after a number of fires on Monday, including a blaze in a hedge in a field off Bilton Lane, Harrogate.

A pile of logs was also set alight in a small wooded area off the A64 near Colton, near Tadcaster.

And 1,000 people were evacuated last month from Spiers House campsite as firefighters tackled major blazes on the North York Moors, including one covering a square mile in Cropton, near Pickering.

A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "We would like to take this opportunity to remind people to avoid lighting camps fire in the countryside, especially during this prolonged spell of dry weather."

The spokesman added: "Fire destroys thousands of acres of countryside each year, often due to carelessness."

As well as not using barbecues or lighting open fires, visitors are also being urged not to throw cigarette ends out of car window.

More information is available at www.northyorksfire.gov.uk.