Landowners have been told they can only burn land if it is regarded as absolutely essential, so as to not put more pressure on the emergency services.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) has stated that many people will be tempted to take advantage of the dry weather after weeks of rain and want to set fires as the end of season approaches to clear out low-lying flammable material, News and Star reported.

However, these could also lead to large wildfires, such as the blaze at Deer Hill Reservoir in West Yorkshire’s Marsden earlier this week.

This resulted in 20 fire engines being called at around 12:30, after the fire spread over one mile, putting extra burden on the fire service at this critical time.

BBC News reported Nick Smith, assistant chief fire officer with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, as saying the fire could “so easily have been avoided”.

Cumbria’s fire service group manager Kevin Johnston said: “It is essential that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service continue to provide an effective emergency response in these unprecedented times, so we will require everybody to maintain high levels of fire prevention and protection to reduce the risk of fires to a minimum.”

A spokesperson for the fire crew added that only essential fires will be allowed, but advised landowners to have “sufficient personnel and resources to control and extinguish the burn safely”.

“We urge landowners and land managers to exercise caution,” it was added.

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