Consultation to ban disposable barbecues, fires, fireworks and sky lanterns on Barnsley’s moors

A consultation to gather the public’s views about an order to ban disposable barbecues, fires, fireworks and sky lanterns on Barnsley’s moors has today been approved.
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Barnsley Council’s cabinet today (March 23) agreed to move forward with a public spaces protection order (PSPO), covering all publicly accessible moorland and footpaths close to open moorland in the borough.

A map provided by Barnsley Council, shows areas of Thurlstone Moor which would be covered by the PSPO if it were to be implemented.

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Disposable barbecues, fires, fireworks and sky lanterns to be banned near moorla...
nder the new rules, council enforcement officers would have the authority to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone using disposable barbecues or lighting fires or fireworks in the area.nder the new rules, council enforcement officers would have the authority to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone using disposable barbecues or lighting fires or fireworks in the area.
nder the new rules, council enforcement officers would have the authority to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone using disposable barbecues or lighting fires or fireworks in the area.
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Under the new rules, council enforcement officers would have the authority to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone using disposable barbecues or lighting fires or fireworks in the area.

Councillor Tim Cheetham, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture told the meeting: “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.

“Its incredibly important the council does what it can to protect these natural assets – along with the obvious cost of the disruption and the danger linked to the wildfires.”

Councillor Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transportation 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.

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” I can’t imagine that anybody would be against this proposal.”

A report to cabinet states that Barnsley’s peatlands are at a “particular risk of fire”, as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“At particular risk of fire is Barnsley’s 2,500 hectares of peat moorlands which could be considered the borough’s most important natural asset.

“In respect of achieving our net zero targets, our moorlands are very important, arguably more so than trees.”

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“In April 2019, a barbecue lit by a member of the public started a fire at Marsden Moor in Kirklees which damaged 700 hectares of Moorland.

“In April 2021, another fire occurred at Marsden Moor caused a further £200,000 of damage and required 50 firefighters to put out.

“There is potential for such fires to occur in Barnsley’s peat moorlands, which could cause similar levels of damage.”