Barnsley moorland barbeque ban goes out to consultation

A council report found 2,500 hectares of moorland in Barnsley were at risk of fire

Barbeques could be banned from moorland near Barnsley over fears they may cause devastating fires.

Anyone breaking the ban could be fined after councillors backed the introduction of a public spaces protection order for Thurlstone Moor.

The order, if approved, would be in place for three years, and also include the use of fireworks and sky lanterns.

Councillor Tim Cheetham said: "It's important the council does what it can to protect these natural assets."

The potential rules, which cover all publicly accessible moorland and footpaths close to open moorland in the borough, will now move onto consultation with the public.

The decision followed two devastating blazes on Marsden Moor, near Huddersfield, in 2019 and 2021 which caused £700,000 worth of damage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Two blazes on Marsden Moor in 2019 and 2021 caused £700,000 worth of damage.

Mr Cheetham said: "Given that we have two and a half thousand hectares of moorland in the west of the borough, it's important that we have council procedure to reduce the risks of wildfires occurring."

Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for the environment added: "The peatlands, not only are they extremely important in terms of carbon sequestration, but of course they act as a natural sponge, as a sort of water attenuation during times of heavy rain, which, of course, we know are going to become more common as as as we move forward through the years.

"I can't imagine that anybody would be against this proposal."