A devastating blaze has ravaged 1,000 acres of moorland in northern England - as experts warn Labour's rewilding drive risks fuelling a surge in catrastrophic wildfires. 

The inferno on Tintwistle Moor near Glossop, Derbyshire broke out on Wednesday as Britain recorded its hottest ever June day, leaving the ground dangerously tinder dry.

Multiple fire engines and two helicopters were still battling to contain the blaze, which sent thick smoke and ash billowing for miles across neighbouring towns and villages, on Friday, 

While the cause of the blaze is yet unknown, the government came under fire as critics warned its rewilding policies may have added fuel to the flames.

They say curbs on traditional land management have allowed dangerous build-ups of dry vegetation, turning large swathes of countryside into tinderboxes primed to ignite during heatwaves.

Gamekeepers and farmers traditionally carried out controlled burning of heather and grasses in the cooler months – encouraging new shoots which grouse and sheep graze on.

But last year, the Labour government brought in strict rules preventing controlled burning of heather on more than 1.6million acres of land.

Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Environment Secretary, said Labour’s restrictions were an ‘idealistic’ approach that has ignored the role of managed burns in limiting dangerous, large-scale fires.

‘The terrible fire in Derbyshire is a stark reminder of how important it is to do everything possible to stop wildfires,’ she said.

‘While the cause of this fire is unknown, we need to make sure that those preventing fires have all the tools possible to prevent harm to wildlife, ecosystems, and disruption of rural livelihoods.

‘That’s why we opposed Labour’s effective ban of controlled burns. Farmers, estate managers, gamekeepers, firefighters and others, understand that carefully planned, controlled burns are an essential tool for limiting the scale and danger of wildfires.

‘The Government has not grasped the trade-off between preventative, managed burning and the risk of large, unpredictable, and hazardous wildfires. Instead, they take an idealistic environmental approach not rooted in the reality of land management’

Andrew Gilruth of Moorlands Association said the ‘core problem’ was that Natural England has increasingly stopped farmers and gamekeepers from reducing vegetation.

'The fire on Tintwistle Moor is on land which the RSPB has rewilded. This has created huge amounts of tinder dry dead vegetation which catches fire very easily,’ he said.

The CEO added: ‘If Andy Burnham wants to stop the North of England being scarred by wildfires he needs to have a scorched-earth approach to such reckless behaviour.'

Natural England insists burning damages carbon-storing peat and it instead promotes mechanical cutting- but critics say while this reduces the so-called fuel load it leaves ignitable materials behind.

Earlier this week, veteran gamekeeper Richard Bailey warned MPs that the steady build-up of vegetation was producing hotter, more dangerous fires.

'Unless Westminster stops deliberately building up huge fuel loads of vegetation, it's only a matter of time before someone is getting killed,’ he told the environment select committee.

The National Fire Chiefs Council has warned that 2025 was a record year for wildfires, surpassing the previous peak in 2022.

Last August, the UK’s largest wildfire burned for more than a month on Langdale Moor, North York Moors, and was declared a major incident.

Grouse shooting groups insist controlled burning is vital, which they say clears old heather without harming peat, skimming moorland surface and stimulating new growth.

Alex Farrell, head of uplands at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), said: 'While it is far too early to determine the cause of these fires or the factors that have influenced their behaviour, there is growing concern that further restrictions on controlled burning have reduced the ability of land managers to control fuel loads in many upland landscapes.

'The irony is, as regulation has tightened, the risk of large-scale wildfires has increased. In the name of protecting peatlands, they may well have been set up to burn.’

He added: ‘As the climate continues to change, those who manage the uplands need more practical tools, not fewer. Controlled cool burning isn’t the threat, it’s part of the solution.’

Gavin Lane, President of the Country Landowners and Business Association (CLA) added the policies amounted to a de facto ban.

'The system now required to apply for a licence to burn is so complex, time consuming and unwieldy as to be unfit for purpose,’ he explained.

‘With hotter, drier weather making moorland fires more dangerous, we cannot afford a system that blocks common sense. Government must fix it, fast, so the people who know this land can protect it.'

Henrietta Appleton, policy officer at Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s said restrictions were compounding the risks.

‘As a result of climate change the warm, wet winters are driving greater amounts of vegetation and the hot, dry summers are turning this into flammable fuel,’ she said.

‘Current restrictions on managing the vegetation (fuel load) in our protected uplands is adding to the risk of severe wildfires which release stored carbon, destroy wildlife, disrupt businesses, close roads and present a risk to health.’

She called for a Wildfire Mitigation Minister to develop local strategies to manage vegetation fuel ‘before someone dies’.

Labour MP Alison Hume, who chairs a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Wildfires Prevention, said action was need urgently ‘before tragedy occurs’.

‘The Government investment in restoration and resilience is certainly welcome. However, our APPG will be pressing for the publication of a national wildfire strategy as a matter of urgency,’ she added.

A spokesperson for United Utilities which owns Tintwistle Moors said it was supporting Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service with all-terrain vehicles and two helicopters carrying out water drops.

The water company said its long-term approach was to ‘restore peatlands to a healthier, wetter and more resilient condition, as dry, degraded peat is more vulnerable to fire’.

It said it managed ‘vegetation in a site-specific way which are central to reducing risk over time’.

‘Where appropriate, we use cutting as part of our land management approach to reduce fuel load, manage vegetation structure and support habitat restoration.

‘This is considered on a site-by-site basis, taking into account peat condition, habitat requirements, wildfire risk, access, weather conditions, and the advice of relevant specialists and partners.’