PEOPLE who hold barbecues at a Petersfield beauty spot could be putting lives and wildlife at stake.

Petersfield Town Council has reminded residents that barbecues and the starting of ‘social fires’ are not permitted on the Heath.

A group of revellers ignored the warning signs during the current spell of hot weather and started a small fire on grass close to Heath Road East. The act is prohibited and it was also very dangerous according to town clerk Neil Hitch, due to the ever-drying conditions.

Few readers will need reminding of the situation in Lancashire where firefighters have battled large fires on swathes of moorland around Rochdale and Bolton.

The dry conditions have also caused several fires in the open in East Hampshire, with Petersfield firefighters dealing with a scrubland blaze on Havant Thicket, near Rowlands Castle, over the weekend.

Mr Hitch said: “As far as barbecues are concerned there are signs all around the perimeter (of the Heath) which say they are not allowed unless permission is forthcoming, which it rarely is.

“If you look at what’s happened up on Saddleworth Moor you can see that fire doesn’t take long to spread.

“And OK, the land around the heath is sandy but there was a fire on similar land close to the M25 a few years ago and the last thing we want is a fire starting on the Heath and causing damage.

“It’s not that we want to spoil people’s enjoyment, we want to ensure its protection.”

Some residents have also called for larger bins or more frequent collections as they filled up quickly over the weekend, leading to litter accumulating on spots around the pond.

But both seem unlikely as the current bins are larger than their predecessors and collections take place daily.

Mr Hitch added: “They get emptied every day but if they’re emptied in the morning and get filled up in the day then what can we do?

“It comes down to resources and what the council can afford.”