Britons have been banned from more than 250,000 acres of woodland over a “risk of ignition” following a scorching summer that brought a record number of wildfires.
The growing wildfire threat emerged as hotter, drier conditions fuelled blazes, with Baroness Young of Old Scone, chair of the Forestry Commission warning sites had experienced a “shedload” of fires – many of which never formally reported.
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As a result, the Forestry Commission has closed parts of its estate, including areas of the New Forest, Wykeham Forest in North Yorkshire, Colliers’ Wood near Manchester and Shouldham in Norfolk.
Baroness Young said officials had decided to take the step, as simply putting up warning signs could not reduce the risk of visitors accidentally starting fires.
“We stopped access because it was just too risky to have people and the risk of ignition,” she said.
The commission manages more than 250,000 acres of land in England across 1,500 wooded areas, where public access is considered vital, and rarely restricted.
Baroness Young said restrictions only ever came into force when the danger became particularly serious.
Recent fires included a blaze at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, on land managed by the National Trust and RSPB, which threatened neighbouring properties, while a separate New Forest fire was started by a burning vehicle.
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