Devastating Formby Dunes Fire Scorches Area the Size of Four Football Pitches

One week on from the devastating fire that swept through Formby’s sand dunes, the scale of the damage to this precious landscape is becoming clearer.

The fire burned through more than three hectares of rare dune habitat, an area roughly equivalent to four football pitches. Drone images taken following the fire show just how much of this special landscape has been affected.

Thanks to survey drone footage captured by Seagull Aerial Photography, with the necessary permissions, the Ranger team has been able to accurately map the area affected by the blaze. This information will be extremely important in helping conservation teams monitor nature’s recovery over the coming months and years.

While the impact on wildlife and habitats has been significant, there is hope that nature will gradually recover.

Many of the plants found within Formby’s dunes are naturally adapted to disturbance. Surviving root systems beneath the ground, buried seeds and new seeds carried into the area by the wind will all contribute to the recovery process. Over time, vegetation including the distinctive marram grass should begin to return.

Ongoing conservation work across the dunes will also continue to support nature’s recovery.

This includes creating areas of bare sand by removing dense areas of invasive scrub, alongside winter cattle grazing. These measures help maintain the dynamic and constantly changing dune habitat that many specialist plants and animals depend upon for survival.

Conservation teams will also continue their annual surveys of nearby natterjack toad breeding slacks. These surveys will help them understand the longer term effects the fire may have had on this rare species and allow them to monitor how local populations recover in the years ahead.

The fire is also an important reminder of just how vulnerable Formby’s coastline can be.

Most fires of this kind are preventable. Although there has been some rain during the past week, the area remains extremely dry and it can take just one small spark to start a serious fire.

Everyone visiting Formby and the wider Sefton Coast is being asked to help protect its wildlife and landscape by ensuring cigarettes are fully extinguished and by never lighting barbecues, fires, fireworks or lanterns on the beach, in the dunes, grasslands or woodlands.

If you see a fire, call 999 immediately.

Visitors are also encouraged to use the What3Words app to identify their exact location or make a note of recognisable landmarks nearby. This can help emergency services identify the location of a fire and reach the area as quickly as possible.

Formby is a legally protected Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, reflecting the national importance of its habitats and wildlife.

To help protect wildlife and ensure everyone can continue to enjoy this special place, recreational drone flying is not permitted anywhere along the Sefton Coast under the Sefton Public Space Protection Order. The drone survey used to assess the fire damage was carried out by Seagull Aerial Photography with the necessary permissions.

The message to visitors is clear: by taking simple precautions and treating the coastline with care, everyone can help protect Formby and keep this remarkable landscape special for both wildlife and people.