Firefighters tackle 20 wildfires in one weekend

Crews tackled blazes at scenic spots including Saddleworth Moor

Firefighters are urging people to follow the Countryside Code as they have dealt with 20 "significant wildfires" so far this weekend.

Crews tackled blazes at scenic spots including in Cheshire and Cumbria.

North West Fire Control said it had been "very busy across the region".

Dave Swallow, from the National Fire Chiefs Council, said: "So far in 2022, there have been 48 significant wildfires reported across England and Wales - 20 this weekend alone."

He encouraged countryside users to "be careful".

"Dead vegetation combined with dry easterly winds increase the risk of fire and make fighting these fires difficult," he added.

Police believe the fire on the Wirral Peninsula was ignited deliberately

The RSPB said it would replant woodland near the popular Dove Stone reservoir in Oldham, where crews extinguished a blaze on Saturday evening.

It advised anyone who sees any smoke or fire on the moorland to call 999 to reduce harm.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "Even small moorland fires cause environmental damage and need a lot of resources to extinguish."

Scientists have also warned that more fires could be expected with increasing climate change.

Huge wildfires at Saddleworth Moor and Winter Hill in 2018 exposed five million people to dangerous levels of polluted air, a study found.

Crews dealing with the Saddleworth fire said they needed "a lot of resources"

The Countryside Code warns people to not light fires and to be careful when discarding cigarettes.

It advises visitors to only have barbecues where signs indicate they are allowed, adding that users should "always put your barbecue out, make sure the ashes are cold and dispose of them responsibly".

Lloyd Blower, from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, also warned people not to leave litter.

He said bottles discarded in sunshine "can raise the temperature of vegetation and start a very small fire which spreads".