MOD 'can do more' to prevent fires at beauty spot

A nature group wants the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to do more to protect a beauty spot from wildfires.

Dougal Urquhart, chairman of Colchester Natural History Society, claims the MOD is not doing enough at nearby Middlewick Ranges and this is putting the area at greater risk of more outbreaks.

Three fires broke out in four days on the site, owned by the MOD, this summer.

The MOD said it took its responsibilities as a landowner "extremely seriously" and is concerned about any wildfire risk on the estate.

Urquhart said the grass that had been cut there over the years had not been collected and that posed a fire risk if it was not lifted off.

He added more firebreaks need to be put in amid the gorse bushes which he called "highly flammable" and that the bushes themselves needed to be cut back.

"Once gorse bushes are burned down to ash, the seeds come back even stronger, so you get an even thicker concentrations of gorse - having firebreaks would curb the fire's spread," he said.

"I also want to see the gorse bushes themselves better managed - it grows at an incredible rate."

Middlewick Ranges is not designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England so any agreement to manage the land cannot be enforced.

However, Urquhart also believes the MOD can do more to help the fire service when it deals with an outbreak.

He wants to see the gates labelled by letter so that firefighters and the MOD can communicate clearly as to which gate is best to access a fire from.

"There needs to be better access for firefighters," he said.

"They had to cut through branches last week through narrow tracks to get to the fire and some of these need to be widened."

In a statement the MOD said it always allows prompt access for firefighters to the site, including allowing them to cut chains when needed for faster access.

It also denied that grass cuttings from mowing had been left over.

"We have a grass-cutting contract in place, which includes mowing safety firebreaks around the boundary of our land," it said.

"Further grass cutting is currently taking place as previously planned and shared with Natural England.

"Grass cutting cannot take place early in the year due to the presence of ground-nesting birds."

The cause for all three incidents last week has been recorded by the fire service as "unknown".

In a statement Essex Fire and Rescue said: "We are working with the local authority and the Ministry of Defence on the management of Middlewick Ranges to help reduce risks and keep the area safe."

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