Llantysilio mountain fire: Axed job to be reinstated

Image caption, The blaze affected a huge area and led to road closures on the Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen

A previously axed job is to be reinstated in a bid to prevent a repeat of a "devastating" mountain fire near Llangollen last summer.

The blaze damaged 290 hectares (715 acres) of gorse and heather at Llantysilio's Horseshoe Pass.

A moorland officer who worked with landowners to reduce fire risks was axed in 2012.

Denbighshire County Council has not yet said when it plans to appoint a new officer.

said a lack of land management聽had made the fire - which burned from July to September 2018 - worse than it should have been.

Image source, Gareth Taylor

Image caption, The fire lasted from 19 July until 25 September last year

It noted that, under a Lottery-funded Hillforts project, a moorland field officer had been appointed in 2005 to work with farmers and landowners to identify overgrown areas and remove vegetation that was a fire risk.

However, funding for this job ended in 2012 and no replacement was found, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, a Plaid Cymru councillor for Llandrillo, welcomed the idea of bringing back the role, claiming cuts were "one of the reasons we had the fire".

Tony Ward, Denbighshire's head of highways and environment, said the council was "fully committed" to working with partners to create and fund the new post.