ARSON attacks at a Lundwood park the worst-hit area of Barnsley in a summer of deliberate blazes have ‘decimated’ its wildlife, according to angry residents.
The park, on Littleworth Lane, has been the subject of attempts to boost wildlife in the past year but needless fires over the summer have all but ruined the plan.
According to latest fire statistics, crews from nearby Cudworth station responded to 19 incidents in July alone a figure that’s had a detrimental impact on a greenspace once rich in wildlife.
Although incidents are expected to fall due to the time of the year, volunteers at the site have called for more to be done to prevent a repeat occurrence next summer and brought it to the police’s attention at the area’s PACT meeting which discusses crime concerns last week.
Janet Mason, one of the volunteers who has been working at the site, said: “It’s been an awful situation this summer we know of 24 species of butterfly on Littleworth Lane and they have been decimated.
“We’re disgusted as we don’t seem to have had any extra police, despite us constantly reporting incidents throughout June, July and August.
“The authorities have looked defeated by arson and we feel let down.
“A lot of hard work is all gone and it’s very upsetting for those who have been involved with the park’s improvements.”
Arson in Barnsley was described as ‘unprecedented’ by firefighters, with figures showing deliberate grassland fires started in the town more than doubled on the previous year’s statistics.
July’s heatwave, which saw temperatures soar as high as 30C with very little rainfall, exacerbated the problem according to officers, as dry grass is much easier to set on fire.
It enabled fires to spread across hundreds of feet in a short space of time, as was witnessed at nearby Monk Bretton in July, where homes were within metres of going up in flames. But Littleworth Lane park’s large area and many escape routes have made it difficult for police to apprehend those responsible, who have set fields alight and also fly-tipped rubbish left strewn across the park.
Simon Brookes, community safety manager for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: “It’s been an unprecedented summer as there has been a big increase in deliberate fires. This has had a massive impact on crews who have to respond to reports.
“People’s lives have been put at risk and as we have a duty to respond to all types of fire, no matter how small it is, it could have prevented us from dealing with a potentially life-threatening fire elsewhere.
“It’s been the worst summer for grassland fires in memory and it’s important that credit is given to the crews who have worked tirelessly to stop the wilful neglect of others.
“Many reports have been of youngsters starting the fires and part of the responsibility for stopping that has to be with parents if their child is coming home smelling of smoke, clearly they have been up to no good.
“Littleworth Lane in particular has been a constant source of irritation for nearby residents.
“Incidents such as these divert our resources when they could be needed at genuine life-threatening emergencies.
“We can often spend hours dealing with the flames from a grassland fire, especially so when it’s warm, the ground is dry and it’s spread as we saw on multiple occasions this summer.”
A fire service spokesman appealed for the public to continue to help enquiries as they work alongside police to establish identities of those responsible for starting fires.
“Any small fire has the potential to spread and to become a more significant incident, and to potentially divert our resources from attending a more serious incident.
“Anyone with information about people starting fires in their area can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
