Two men admit causing Darwen Moors fire last summer
They've admitted guilt of Reckless Arson ahead of their court appearance
Last updated 22nd Feb 2021
Two men have admitted their guilt of Reckless Arson prior to their court appearance about last summer's large fire on the Darwen Moors.
Last month, Blackburn with Darwen Police post about two men being reported for the blaze which lasted for 7 days over May and June 2020.
The pair lit a disposable BBQ onto the grassy moors despite clear warnings on the packaging.
They now admit that doing this while not taking into consideration the grass may ignite was a reckless act, rather than a mere accidental fire.
They'll now be undertaking 150 hours of reparation work to help repair the damage they caused.
It'll include removing burnt fencing; installing replacements for the burnt footbridges, fingerposts and bird boxes; assisting dry stone wall repairs; maintaining footpaths' planting rarer plant special and general moorland maintenance work.
They have also received a conditional caution.
In a post on Facebook, the police said: "The aggrieved parties are very supportive of this plan for them to help put right some of the damage whilst seeing first hand how the moorland and wildlife is still trying to recover."