Camp fires and barbecues to be banned in Cairngorms

The ban is said to follow "extensive" consultation on the issue

Camp fires and barbecues will be banned in the UK's largest national park from next year in a bid to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Scottish ministers approved the new by-law for the Cairngorms which will be enforced between 1 April and 30 September every year.

Parts of the national park were badly damaged over the summer by what landowners described as the biggest wildfire in Scottish history.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), which requested the by-law, said the ban followed an "extensive" public consultation.

The national park covers 1,748 sq miles (4,527 sq km) and includes parts of five local authorities - Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross.

It is home to about 18,000 people and the park has about two million visitors every year.

How will the ban be enforced?

Camp fires and barbecues are to be banned between April and September

CNPA said it was working with Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to prepare for "robust enforcement" of the by-law.

It said leaflets, social media messages and signage would be used to help promote the ban which will also be backed up by the power to issue fixed penalty notices.

These fines will be a maximum of £500 per offence.

Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon, said: "In introducing a fire by-law of this kind, the CNPA is leading the way in safeguarding Scotland's natural and cultural heritage from climate crisis threats."

She added that the wildfires seen around the country earlier this year underlined how urgent the issue was.

CNPA said climate change had increased the risk of wildfires happening in Scotland.

Convener Sandy Bremner added: "The Cairngorms National Park is loved and cherished by so many of us, and we all want to protect and safeguard this incredible place.

"This by-law will help us to do just that."

'Disco party'

Damage caused by camp fires and anti-social behaviour has been a problem in the park for a number of years.

In 2020, rangers said revellers had left rubbish, fires and human waste after holding a "disco party" in Glen Doll in Angus.

The social gathering was among dozens of incidents of irresponsible behaviour Cairngorms park rangers encountered that year.

Others included up to 30 campfires being set in one night at Glenmore near Aviemore that had to be extinguished by firefighters.

However, rangers said the vast majority of park visitors acted responsibly.

Parts of the park in the Highlands and Moray were affected by fires that broke out in late June and early July.

Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) estimated the fires affected a total area of 29,225 acres (11,827 hectares) - an area almost 30 times bigger than Lanarkshire's Strathclyde Park.

The incidents at Dava and Carrbridge resulted in closures of local roads and nearby residents being told to keep windows of homes and businesses closed due to smoke.

BBC Weather Watchers reported smoke from the wildfire near Carrbridge in the Highlands drifting for 40 miles (64km) across the Moray Firth.

What causes wildfires?

SFRS classifies wildfires as large, uncontrolled outdoor fires exceeding 1,000 sq m of burned area.

It says these fires are unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable, and occur in areas with combustible vegetation that can fuel rapid spread.

Human activity is often to blame with fires started by barbecues, glass bottles magnifying sunlight on dry vegetation and discarded cigarettes.

One of the reasons fires continued to burn on moorland was because of its peaty soil which fuels the flames.

SFRS has issued an extreme wildfire warning for the whole of Scotland for Friday.