Heather burning: The County Durham project harvesting energy from the moors

Heather is being harvested and used as fuel, instead of being burnt on moorland, as part of a pilot project in County Durham.

The pink and purple plant grows on upland moors between July and September, and can easily become a fire risk if it is not managed properly.

Normally, controlled burning is used to stop the heather from becoming overgrown and a wildfire hazard.

But a new project is cutting the heather back and using it to make fuel that could be used in homes or biomass power stations.