Sheffield campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor for community

In 2023, fires lit on the moors around Sheffield caused smoke to blanket parts of the city.

Following the incident the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, invited the Duke of Rutland to a ‘Smoke Summit’, but the Duke did not attend.

Sheffield councillor and ROM supporter Minesh Parekh has called for a total ban on moorland burning.

He said: “I look forward to people making use of the upcoming ‘Community Right to Buy’ legislation to bring mismanaged land into community hands.

“We need an immediate end to grouse shooting, an immediate end to burning.”

According to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, heather burning is commonly practised to manage moorland.

The heather is burned off, making way for new shoots, which provide food for red grouse, deer, mountain hares and livestock.