Ban on fireworks, lanterns and barbecues in parts of Moorlands

Council agrees the move

- By Phil Corrigan

FIREWORKS, barbecues and Chinese lanterns will be banned in parts of the Staffordshire Moorlands with £100 fines for any breaches of the new rule.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is introducing a public space protection order (PSPO) in order to reduce the risk of wildfires in certain areas. Cabinet members voted in favour of the PSPO at their meeting on Tuesday saying it would allow the authority to protect the countryside and take action against 'negligent offenders.

It comes after a fire in the Goyt Valley in Derbyshire, near the Cat and Fiddle pub, destroyed 800 acres of moorland and woodland in April. Firefighters also attended three smaller incidents in the Staffordshire Moorlands in March.

The PSPO bans anyone from lighting a fire, barbecue, Chinese lantern or firework in restricted areas. It also prohibits placing, throwing or dropping anything likely to cause a fire, or using any item that produces a naked flame or poses a risk of fire.

The PSPO will apply to all publicly accessible land owned by the district council or within the Peak District National Park. Anyone who breaches the order could face a £100 fixed penalty notice, reduced to £75 if paid within 10 days.