Boy, 15, pleads guilty to causing Neston marshland fire

A 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to deliberately causing a large fire on marshland on the Wirral Peninsula.

Cheshire Fire Service sent six fire engines to the blaze at Neston in March 2022.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted arson on the first day of his trial at Chester Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Two other 15-year-old boys admitted arson and damage of a site of special scientific interest on 5 April.

All three were handed a nine-month referral order and ordered to pay court costs.

The three boys had admitted they were at the scene but not who set the fire, Cheshire Police said.

Hundreds of residents and pubgoers came out to see the fire

The fire damaged an extensive area of tall well-established reedbed and saltmarsh, destroying habitat for endangered birds like the hen harrier and bittern, Natural England said.

Deputy director Ginny Hinton said: "This incident highlights the need to follow the Countryside Code and respect, protect and enjoy the great outdoors. This also provides a reminder of the far reaching impact of fire on our well-loved natural spaces."

The RSPB previously said it would take two years "at the earliest" for wildlife to recover at the site.

The fire covered about 1 sq km (0.4 sq miles) around the marshland.

Fire crews said the blaze covered about a square kilometre of the area

Det Con Adam Spencer said: "What these boys did devastated the breeding grounds for protected species under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.

"While all of them admitted to being present at the site, none of them would admit who started fire, leaving us with no option but to prosecute all three teenagers, meaning that they will all now be tarred with criminal records which will have lifelong implications.

"The impact of their actions that day cannot be underestimated; the fire caused significant damage to the marshes which is likely to have a significant impact on local wildlife for years to come."