Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to prohibit the scorching of moorland in areas surrounding rivers and lakes with a high flood risk.

The Heather and Grass Burning regulations 2007 prohibits the burning of heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium, except under licence from Natural England (NE), in a manner that exposes bare soil which extends more than 25m along the bank of a watercourse and is more than a metre wide. NE must be satisfied that the proposed burning is for conservation, enhancement or management of the natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations, or for the safety of a person.

The Heather and Grass Burning Code 2007 also outlines good practice on planning where to burn and how to burn safely and responsibly.