Fire crews from Bolton developed their skills to tackle wildfires in one of the UK's most picturesque areas.

Bolton North Fire teamed up with Cheshire Fire crew for specialist training at the Peak District National Park.

The exercise took place at Lyme Park where firefighters tested out new equipment used to help tackle wildfires, which have become more frequent due to climate change and hotter summers.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “We recently held a cross-border training session with Cheshire Fire at Lyme Park in the Peak District National Park.

The Bolton News:

“Our Bolton North crew joined Cheshire crews and shared knowledge around our wildfire capability and presented on new equipment we’ve invested in to tackle them.”

Back in 2018, a fire started on the moors on Winter Hill which caused an estimated 25,556 tonnes of carbon to be released into the atmosphere, and negated significant conservation work carried out by the Woodland Trust and United Utilities in the area.

It’s hoped this training and new equipment will help create a better and more effective response to wildfires in the future.

New powers to stop the use of barbecues and starting of camp fires are currently being explored by Bolton Council to prevent another future outbreak as seen in 2018.

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