Do not light fires, Woodland Trust urges summer visitors to its sites
Fire burning on Winter Hill destroying much of the Smithills estate (Joel Goodman/Woodland Trust/PA)
The Woodland Trust has issued a plea to people not to light fires at its countryside sites as the summer holidays start.
The call comes three years on from a devastating blaze that destroyed swathes of moorland and wildlife looked after by the charity – and as it warns there have already been nine fires on its sites this year.
The trust is launching a national “love your woods” campaign which aims to encourage people visiting its woodlands and moorlands to leave no trace and help the protection of its special sites.