A FAMILY with young children was spotted having a barbecue on moorland, causing firefighters to issue fresh warnings ahead of the one year anniversary of the devastating Winter Hill fires.

Despite ‘no barbecues’ signs posted on the gate which the family would have had to pass through, the family was spotted enjoying the BBQ after 8pm on Thursday evening.

Coralie Foster, from Heaton, was walking her dog on the West Pennine Moors and spotted the family before photographing the scene.

Ms Foster, 48, said: “I parked up and I could see smoke rising.

“I approached, I saw a family with a couple of young children. They had a barbecue going. It was going quite strong.”

The walker watched as fire crews approached the scene to extinguish the fire.

Ms Foster said: “I saw a fire engine and two firemen carrying pales of water to douse it out.”

Ms Foster tweeted the picture and Bolton Council responded, saying: “Coralie is so right. While the weather may not be anything like last year, it’s still important to remember. No BBQs or campfires on the moors.

“We don’t want to see the devastation of last year’s fires.”

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We spoke to the people involved, told them of the dangers and that barbecues were not permitted.

“The people were understanding and packed up and moved on.”

Friday marks the one year anniversary since the Winter Hill fire began last year, burning for a total of 41 days and leaving the moorland decimated.

Ms Foster says she posted the picture online to raise awareness of the damage caused to the environment, .

She said: “It is clearly a problem because people are not recognising the risk.

“We can’t have that type of fire again.

“The devastation is just too much.”

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “People don’t realise how long the fire service were working on it. People don’t realise that the fire burns underground — that is why it lasted so long.”

The LFRS added that rural fires caused unnecessarily by barbecues can take resources away from people in need elsewhere.

The spokesman said: “Deliberate fires can cost lives.

“Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have the skills and knowledge to extinguish a wildfire should one start but ultimately want the people who maliciously set grass and moorland on fire to realise that while crew and resources are being deployed to remote parts of Lancashire to extinguish the fires the perpetrators themselves or their family back home in towns could be in danger.”

The service says that members of the public can help to prevent wildfires.

The spokesman added: “There are a number of steps you can take to prevent wildfires that are as simple as ensuring that cigarettes are discarded properly and fully extinguished, don’t light BBQ’s or campfires on moors or besides vehicles, ensure you take any litter home with you as glass bottles and broken glass can magnify in the sun and start a fire and talk to young people about the dangers of lighting fires.

“If you see a wildfire please immediately contact the Fire Service on 999 and move people to a safe area away from the direction the fire is travelling.”