No need to spray herbicide on a natural jewel

ILKLEY Moor is the natural jewel in the crown of Yorkshire. I have ranged over that beloved moor for over half a century; I know every track and trail.

On a recent visit to Ilkley, I was dismayed to see a low flying helicopter spraying poison over the lower reaches of the moor, below White Wells; over the ferns and trees, the little tarns and springs and tributary streams.

I contacted Bradford Council and spoke to a conservation officer.

It transpired that the herbicide poison was being sprayed to kill the ferns, but would not harm other flora or fauna, people or pets. Really? Who knows what the long-term impact will be? “That is not an exact science,” I warned and gave past examples of “harmless” poisons, of which the use of DDT was merely the most notorious.

I asked why they wanted to destroy the ferns, whose elegant green fronds have graced the moor since time immemorial.

He explained that they had had complaints about “the bracken” and that “the friends of Ilkley Moor (sic) wanted better access to the moor”.

“That is nonsense,” I replied. “There are loads of broad paths across the moors, but if you choose to follow the tracks through the ferns (which I have always preferred), that gives you a different experience.”

“I know,” he conceded.

I asked that, having destroyed the natural flora of the moor, what did they expect to grow there and his reply was vague. A moor is not a park!