A FIRE that reached the size of two football pitches in Barrow has sparked environmental concerns.

The large fire which has been described as most likely ‘deliberate’ took place around 5pm on Wednesday having a devastating impact on a large area of grass and gorse.

Four fire crews from Barrow, Broughton, Ulverston, Millom as well as a wildfire unit from Grange and the Joint Incident Command Unit were called to the fire in the reed beds at the rear of the water treatment centre near to Salthouse Mills.

The incident has raised concerns towards the impacts on wildlife.

Sarah Dalrymple, warden at South Walney Nature Reserve said: "Grass and gorse are often filled with nesting birds such as willow warbler and common whitethroat.

"Grassland can also be home to skylarks and meadow Pipits.

"I was able to see the fire all the way from the nature reserve which was very concerning.

"These sorts of habitats are important in their own way and are part of the nature of Barrow.

"It is disappointing to see so much wildlife being destroyed."

Barrow station manager Paul Milburn also expressed environmental concerns as well as the risk to both public and property.

"The fire required a lot of resources and was most likely deliberate ignition.

"There were concerns for the public as well as the consequences to wildlife, particularly nesting birds.

"Due to the huge resources it required it also meant that if any other incident occurred at the same time they would have been a delayed response.

"I urge individuals to think twice about their actions and to remember that the police will prosecute you if identified.

"One of our main worries during the fire was the risk of it spreading to the water treatment plant.

"Again, I urge individuals to think twice about the severity of their actions."

Mr Milburn also expressed how such actions appeared to occur on a yearly basis when the weather became hotter around the same location.

The fire was eventually extinguished by the team.

Crews used two ground monitors to extinguish the fire and were there for around four hours.