THOSE out enjoying the bank holiday sun this weekend are being asked to do what they can to reduce the risk of grass fires.

People heading off to the Yorkshire Dales National Park or North York Moors are urged not to discard glass bottles, matches or cigarette ends.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said with the ongoing dry weather it was increasingly concerned at the risk of moorland fire and the “huge drain on resources” an incident can cause.

Group manager Peter Hudson said: “We obviously want people to come and enjoy the Yorkshire Dales and Moors over the Bank Holiday weekend, but we would urge them to do what they can to help us prevent a fire from breaking out.

“Visitors should avoid lighting fires on or near the moorland and should not discard cigarettes, matches or glass bottles.

“If they see a fire, they should report it quickly to the fire service so that they can take appropriate action.”

“We attend nearly 100 fires on moorland and woodland every year, and most of these can be prevented. Moor fires are difficult to put out and can sometimes burn for weeks.

“This is a huge drain on our resources and causes untold damage to the countryside.”

Visitors to the countryside are asked to call 999 immediately, should they spot a fire.