Fire crews were called to large fires at Easter weekend on Rimrose Valley Country Park
Firefighters were called to Rimrose Valley, on Saturday 3rd April shortly before 2.30pm when two fire engines attended.
Flames reached 30ft on Rimrose Valley
Photo & Top Photo by Debbie Hegarty
A spokeswoman from Merseyside Fire & Rescue said: “On arrival crews found a large amount of grass and wooded area alight, approximately 400m x 100m. Crews used beaters and high pressure hose reel jets to extinguish the fire.”
Smoke could be seen for miles around in Hightown and Formby.
Photo by Jen Harrison
Fire crews left the scene at 3.25pm but by then it was completely destroyed. Very upsetting for the wildlife that lives there. There is deer, foxes, swans, birds and lots more beautiful species.
These photos show the extent of destruction of the Valley.
Photos by Carl Davies
Residents commented on Facebook:
Allan Humphreys said: “Was there before. The pictures don’t do justice to how bad this actually was. The flames were at least 30 foot in parts near Eden Drive South. Absolutely horrible to see. Complete carnage and a lot of the field in ruins.”
Catherine said: “I worry about the ground nesting birds and the rabbits that have been spotted in the valley Hope they managed to escape from their burrows, not to mention a spark could have destroyed houses. Idiots doesn’t even describe them.”
Rimrose Valley
Beautiful photos by Stratus Imagery
Rimrose Valley is a 3.5 km, that’s 2.2 mile country park and valley which forms a border between #Crosby and #Litherland and is in the borough of Sefton with the Leeds Liverpool canal on its eastern edge.
Plans were announced in February 2016 which proposed a new £200m road could be built through Rimrose Valley to link directly into the A5758 Brooms Cross Road in an effort to reduce the heavy congestion on theA5036 Dunnings Bridge Road. Sefton Council rejected the proposal in March 2017, citing the desire to instead build a tunnel to overcome the congestion concerns.
A local campaign group, named "Save Rimrose Valley", was formed to oppose Highways England's plans for the through road and to demand that sustainable, non-road solutions to the movement of freight to and from the Port of Liverpool are researched and presented to the public.
They are still fighting this. If you want to join their fight to help Save Rimrose Valley you can join their Facebook page or use their website HERE
SAVE RIMROSE VALLEY CAMPAIGN
WHO WE ARE
The Save Rimrose Valley campaign was formed in September 2017, following a public call for help from the registered charity, Rimrose Valley Friends (RVF).
Established in 2016, RVF was formed to protect, promote and enhance this beautiful, wild, green space in the heart of what is otherwise a densely populated and heavily industrialised area of South Sefton and to bring the communities together with Rimrose Valley as a shared passion.
In 2017, RVF found itself in the position of having to fight for Rimrose Valley’s very future, following an announcement by Highways England of plans to build a dual carriageway along its entire length.
WHAT WE DO - WHY WE DO IT
For us and for many within the communities we represent, Rimrose Valley is a tranquil escape from the urban landscape that surrounds it. It is a perfect place in which to be amongst nature, peace and quiet. It is used for recreation including football, walking, running and cycling and is a free resource people can use to keep fit. It is a haven for wildlife and is home to a huge array of flora and fauna. It is used as a safe route to and from schools and workplaces. It links communities and helps create cohesion.
Quite simply, there is nowhere else quite like it. And for many, it is the only green space they have.
Communities alongside the existing Church Road/A5036 corridor are already suffering from pollution that is dangerously high and affecting the health of these residents. Congestion along this route is a mixture of both Port traffic and other commercial and domestic vehicles.
We acknowledge that there is a problem to be solved.
But we believe that adding another road is not the right solution.
If Rimrose Valley is destroyed, it will be gone forever.
The Government agency chose this as their preferred route to accommodate the ever-increasing volume of traffic from the expanding Port of Liverpool in order to link the Port with the motorways at Switch Island.
The Campaign Team is made up of people who responded to the charity’s public call for help to offer their time, skills and commitment to help fight these plans and to Save Rimrose Valley for future generations to enjoy.
We are mums and dads. We are grandparents. We are teachers, civil servants, employed and self-employed. We are diverse. We share a common goal: to stop the road from going ahead. You can find more about some of the campaign team here.
