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Saddleworth Moor arsonist.

(24 Posts)
Sarnia Tue 14-Jul-26 13:50:32

A 20 year old woman has been charged with arson on Saddleworth Moor. What is wrong with these people? The madness of such an idea in the first place coupled with total disregard for the firefighters who put their lives at risk, the wildlife and their habitats which are destroyed and the farmers losing grazing land for their livestock.
She is in court this afternoon, I believe. I hope the law allows a long sentence for such stupidity.

nanna8 Tue 14-Jul-26 14:01:44

In Australia arsonists can be sentenced to life imprisonment. I agree with this, they are dreadful people and many have died because of their actions .

Cossy Tue 14-Jul-26 14:02:42

nanna8

In Australia arsonists can be sentenced to life imprisonment. I agree with this, they are dreadful people and many have died because of their actions .

Good, so they should be, you have the most dreadful fires which out many people’s lives at risk!

Cossy Tue 14-Jul-26 14:03:12

Sarnia

A 20 year old woman has been charged with arson on Saddleworth Moor. What is wrong with these people? The madness of such an idea in the first place coupled with total disregard for the firefighters who put their lives at risk, the wildlife and their habitats which are destroyed and the farmers losing grazing land for their livestock.
She is in court this afternoon, I believe. I hope the law allows a long sentence for such stupidity.

I too hope she gets a custodial sentence, what was she thinking?

Fallingstar Tue 14-Jul-26 14:05:56

I also wonder how these people’s minds work, if indeed they work at all, only this morning in North Wales the reporter found a recently spent firework on the ground. A total disregard for the environment, human life, and animal life. Imho fireworks and barbecues should be banned until this heatwave is over. Too much is at risk.

Fallingstar Tue 14-Jul-26 14:11:44

nanna8

In Australia arsonists can be sentenced to life imprisonment. I agree with this, they are dreadful people and many have died because of their actions .

Agree totally.

nanna8 Tue 14-Jul-26 14:19:54

Maybe bring in total fireban days ? No fires in the open, including barbecues and burning off on those very hot dry days. Large fines if you disobey.

eazybee Tue 14-Jul-26 14:33:08

Two rather entitled boys set fire to a woven wicker structure, made by their fellow pupils at their school, and were identified by their friends.
When asked why one said, "Well I lit a match and held it against the straw to see what would happen".
Difficult to guard against such stupidity.

Cossy Tue 14-Jul-26 14:35:46

Fallingstar

I also wonder how these people’s minds work, if indeed they work at all, only this morning in North Wales the reporter found a recently spent firework on the ground. A total disregard for the environment, human life, and animal life. Imho fireworks and barbecues should be banned until this heatwave is over. Too much is at risk.

Yes! 👏👏👏👏👏

Cossy Tue 14-Jul-26 14:38:32

nanna8

Maybe bring in total fireban days ? No fires in the open, including barbecues and burning off on those very hot dry days. Large fines if you disobey.

I think we already have those things in parts of the UK, but whether they are policed or not is an entirely different conversation.

Washerwoman Tue 14-Jul-26 15:40:26

I think this is the huge fire above Dovestones that she started by firing a rocket and other fireworks. It was a 'tribute' to a friend who drowned in the resevoir. What a tribute angry!Apparently they also filmed it and themselves driving there whilst inhaling nitrous oxide and texting so not young kids.I hope she gets the most severe punishment. The devastation, loss of habitat and wildlife not to mention terrible air quality for miles is so upsetting.

Jaxjacky Tue 14-Jul-26 16:05:57

Many Bastille celebrations are cancelled in Françe today because of the fire risk.

Wyllow3 Tue 14-Jul-26 16:18:55

Here in the High Peak there are warnings, "NO BBQ's and pressure on the shops not to sell the ready made kind. Which is problematic, as sensibly used its an outlet for those with no money to go on holiday to have little family BBQ's in the park.

Wyllow3 Tue 14-Jul-26 16:19:33

Mind you, a little camping stove can do the job of heating up things - are they any safer?

Greyduster Tue 14-Jul-26 16:20:42

There are few things worse than a moorland fire. Once it has burned off what’s on the top - heather, bracken and other plants (some of them rare), the underlying peat catches
alight and it smoulders for days - weeks sometimes. And once it’s extinguished, it can take years for any vegitation to re-establish itself. I’ve seen this happen on local moorland here. Devastating. People leave all sorts of rubbish around. It only takes the sun on a discarded bottle or anything reflective to cause a fire. Warning signs and educational messages seem to roll of some people like water off a duck’s back.

ixion Tue 14-Jul-26 16:40:45

Perhaps an appropriate punishment in these cases would be long shifts as beaters with the fire services.

Reap, sow and all that.

Greyduster Tue 14-Jul-26 16:44:09

Good idea!

Iam64 Tue 14-Jul-26 16:52:54

Arson does carry a life sentence. Arson with intent to endanger lives is more serious than criminal damage caused by arson.
This reckless stupid woman will no doubt say it was accidental. My understanding is that can still carry a life sentence

MT62 Tue 14-Jul-26 17:36:43

Why do people want to sabotage Mother Nature?
From people littering, to those idiots who cut down that sycamore tree.
Now this idiot 😩
I hope she gets a hefty sentence.

sodapop Tue 14-Jul-26 21:02:31

Same thing is happening in France. 50 people arrested so far in connection with wildfires. One at Fontainebleau 850 firefighters and 4 planes dealing with the fire. An 18 year old found in the vicinity with a lighter.
What is wrong with people.

Madmeg Wed 15-Jul-26 00:47:43

In the days when garden centres etc sold bags of compost containing peat, I filled some garden pots with the stuff and planted my summer bedding. In the first week of June I had bunch of friends round for lunch and us smokers went out to the patio for a fag. One person stubbed his out in one of the flower pots, and we all went back indoors.

About ten minutes later a cloud of smoke passed by the patio doors, seen from inside, and when I went out to investigate the patio pot with the fag end was smouldering nicely. Water of course did nothing to extinguish it so we smothered it with gravel. Back indoors it clearly hadn't been extinguished.

It took the best part of a week to douse the impending fire by adding more and more gravel until no air whatsoever could reach the compost.

Not long afterwards, peat was banned from bags of compost!

I grew up in Glossop, just a few miles from Saddleworth Moor. It's so sad to hear of idiots playing with danger, completely unaware of the devastation it can cause.

nanna8 Wed 15-Jul-26 01:04:19

My daughter and her husband and young children lost everything in a bushfire which razed their home to the ground. I have totally no sympathy for these bozos who light fires . I don’t care if they are mentally ill or whatever, they should be jailed.

Padstow13 Wed 15-Jul-26 02:58:51

And there's the added risk, coming up, of the school holidays and bored teens deliberately starting grass fires "for somefink to do......"

What level of IQ do these types have?

Yes, fire has to be the most frighteningly unpredictable of the elements and the legal punishment should reflect that.

Preferably mandatory incarceration as opposed to any 'smack-on-the-wrist' Community Service litter-picking order.

Padstow13 Wed 15-Jul-26 03:02:53

ixion

Perhaps an appropriate punishment in these cases would be long shifts as beaters with the fire services.

Reap, sow and all that.

Constructive idea but the downside is that they would likely end up trotting to their GP claiming to have developed anxiety issues.

And there's probably a DWP benefit for that.