A man driven “nuts” by a spate of fires on a moor near Greater Manchester has come up with a plan to catch those responsible.
Paul Baddeley, 67, claims firefighters hailed his solution as “bloody brilliant” after he shared with them. It comes after repeated fires broke out on Marsden Moor in recent weeks.
About 2km of moorland went up in flames on May 3, with three fire engines in and four wildfire units in attendance. A fire on a similar scale broke out last month - believed to have been started by arsonists.
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Mr Baddeley, from Bradford, says he has informed West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service about his plan and is hoping they will take it on, Yorkshire Live reports. However, he admits his solution will not come cheap.
The retired air conditioning manager’s idea is for the fire service to deploy a barbecue searching drone along the moors with a loudspeaker attached. When the drone senses troublemakers are about to cause a fire, it photographs them and blasts out orders for them to act in a more responsible manner.
Paul said: “They should buy a drone, an expensive one with a loudspeaker on it and a good camera. Then patrol that drone in areas where they know the idiots go to light fires and stuff and have barbecues.
“Then if they see any groups of people getting together, they just lower the drone down and see if there is any sign that they’re going to be cooking. If there is, they then take pictures of all the vehicles and the people.
"Then announce to them: ‘This is Yorkshire Fire Service, we have all your vehicles and faces on camera. Please do not light a fire OR Please put that fire out, now! Police will be informed.'”
The grandfather-of-one is concerned about “idiots” having barbecues and causing pandemonium on the moors as it is a place he likes to escape to. Paul says he enjoys nothing better than going to the moors to chill out, escape life’s worries and listen to reggae music.
But this sense of harmony is constantly thwarted by the endless wild-fires sparking on the moors. Paul said: “It just drives me nuts when I can’t do anything about it.
“It’s a stupid thing to do, it doesn’t make any sense. They should just use their logic if they’re going to go somewhere and want to barbecue. Have the barbecue at home and then go up there afterwards.
“If you’re over 14, you’ve probably known about these fires for a few years. So why would you go up there and start a fire? It’s just plain stupid.
“You’ve got all those people spending money on the emergency services and those looking after the moors. And all the animals. It’s just annoying and it’s not safe.”
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been approached for comment.
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