Ancient Peak District monument site devastated by barbecue wildfire
Date of alert:
Monday, 1 August 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Derbyshire Constabulary
Vegetation at the site of an ancient monument in the Peak District has been devastated by a barbecue wildfire. The site at Stanton-in-the-Peak is usually shrouded in lush woodland but has been gutted by a fire thought to have been started by a barbecue.
Stanton Moor is officially listed as an Ancient Scheduled Monument by Historic England due to its prehistoric archaeology and contains four stone circles. This type of order is Historic England's oldest form of protection, aiming to legally protect sites because of their historical importance.
As a result of recent extreme heat, the land on the site is tinder dry, meaning fire can spread more easily than usual. On August 1, the Derbyshire Rural Crime Team announced that "reckless individuals" had started a fire in the area.
A spokesperson for the team said: "Yet another wildfire that has this time destroyed a large part of an Ancient Scheduled Monument at Stanton-In-The-Peak. This fire was again started by some reckless individuals.
"The land is tinder dry and why anyone would think they can just light a fire or have a BBQ is beyond us. Police are seeking any information that might lead to the identification of the person(s) responsible for this reckless act of criminal damage".
