Hatfield Moor visitors warned to take care over fire risk

People who visit Hatfield Moors have been warned to follow the countryside code

Visitors to a moor devastated by a fire more than two years ago have been warned to take more care.

Fuelled by underground peat, the blaze on Hatfield Moors near Doncaster burned for more than 10 days in May 2020.

Julian Small from Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve has urged people who visit the moor to follow the countryside code.

He said: "Please don't light fires and only have barbecues where it's signed as being safe to have them."

Hatfield Moors near Doncaster burned for more than 10 days in May 2020

Mike Antony from South Yorkshire Fire Service said the Hatfield blaze put "tremendous strain on the service" with up to 12 fire engines tackling the flames at its height.

He said: "Members of the public should play their part in preventing incidents occurring in the first place."

Hatfield Moors, along with Thorne, Goole, and Crowle Moors, forms part of the The Humberhead Peatlands.

The peatlands are part of the largest lowland peat bogs complex in the UK, according to Natural England.

The bogs have been under restoration since commercial peat extraction stopped at the site in 2003.