Anger is welling across North Wales over the absence of aerial support for firefighters tackling wildfires in difficult mountainous terrain. A water-bombing helicopter was approved last week but so far there have been no signs of it arriving in the region.
Two petitions have been launched calling for “urgent aerial support”, specifically for a massive wildfire raging in the remote Rhinogydd mountains in Eryri National Park.
Fire crews are also tackling two mountain fires in Flintshire and another in Wrexham – and are keeping a watching brief on last week’s hillside infernos at Capelulo, Conwy, and Holyhead, Anglesey. You can follow live updates on the various wildfires here.
Online, local people claim the authorities are under-equipped for fire fighting in the region’s difficult terrain. The irony of seeing multiple military aircraft flying overhead on a daily basis, yet not used to combat wildfires, has not been lost on affected communities.
Hill graziers say they have been “shocked” by the scale of the Rhinogydd fire. The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) warned the impacts will be “felt for years” through the loss of grazing and damage to habitats, affecting the wider rural economy. For all the latest on the North Wales wildfires, follow our liveblog here.
Calling for an “urgent escalation” of resources and action, Gwion Rowlands, chair of the FUW’s Meirionnydd branch, added: “The sheer size and duration of this wildfire are unlike anything many people in the area can remember.
