A fire that broke out on marshland
in Cheshire
The blaze began near The Anchorage
in Parkgate, near Neston, on Sunday afternoon and spread across a large area
towards The Parade.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
said crews used beaters and hosereel jets to put the fire out by about 17:50
BST.
Police said the fire was believed
to have been started deliberately.
A spokeswoman said: "Cheshire
Police are keen to speak to anyone in the local area who may have witnessed
anything that may assist the investigation, to contact Ellesmere
Port and Neston Neighbourhood Policing Team."
Colin Wells, RSPB site manager on
the Dee Estuary Reserve, said conditions on the marsh were very brittle and
dry, meaning the fire spread quickly.
"Part of the reed bed had
been burnt and there were substantial areas of rushbeds and saltmarsh
vegetation," he said.
"It's always a problem at
this time of year if we have a dry spell, and the cold easterly winds had dried
the vegetation out."
He added: "The area is
important for nesting birds like reed warblers, reed buntings and water rail.
They have lost their nesting areas.
"We have also got harvest
mice, so they have lost their habitat and probably a lot of them have been
burnt or killed."
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