Farmers in Stamford and Rutland urged to improve fire prevention measures
New figures reveal the cost of farm fires in the Midlands has increased by 80% in a year
Farmers in Stamford and Rutland are being told to be prepared - as new figures reveal the cost of farm fires in the Midlands has increased by 80% in a year.
That's the biggest rise in the country - with farmers in our region spending nearly £12 million pounds in 2021.
Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is urging farmers to be prepared and have fire control plans in place - as the cost of farm fires nationally reached £95.6 million in 2021.
Across the UK electrical faults were the biggest known cause of blazes last year and large-scale farm arson attacks worryingly shot up from £4.7m in 2020 to £8.4m in 2021.
Biomass boiler fires also continued to increase last year and as many installations begin to age, people are being urged to carry out regular maintenance checks.
Andy Manson, Head of Risk Management Services at NFU Mutual, said: “Farm fires put lives at risk, as well as cause disruptive and devastating damage to farm businesses.
“To help protect their businesses, farmers should put fire prevention and control plans in place, such as regularly reviewing their fire risk assessment and acting on the findings.
“Most fires are preventable by carrying out routine maintenance and inspection on heating systems, electrical installations and machinery, and controlling hot works within farm workshops.
“Implementing and maintaining good standards of housekeeping, particularly around the storage of combustibles and flammables such as hay, straw and fuels, will also reduce the risk of a fire spreading.”
NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist Hannah Binns added: “We are very concerned about the rising UK cost of arson attacks, which is a frightening prospect considering farms are not only farmers’ place of work but often their family home.
“We are urging everyone to be on their guard and improve their security to help prevent their business going up in smoke.”