Burning on England’s deep peat banned

New rules come into force from 30 September in order to restore habitats and reduce flooding

Burning on England’s deep peat will be banned in order to restore habitats for rare wildlife and reduce air pollution and flooding, the government has said.

England’s peatlands are in poor shape due to having been drained, burned, intensively drained and used as grouse moors. They naturally act like a sponge, with layers of moss and other vegetation, and store vast amounts of carbon: an estimated 3.2bn tonnes in the UK alone.