Dangerous fires in the New Forest area on the A31

That’s a regular route for us, hopefully passing that way at the end of the week. Devastating for the wildlife, such a beautiful area too.

I know that stretch very well. Hugely important from a wildlife point of view. It will be chaos on the A35. Let's hope they can keep it under control.

So many ponies running free there.It is horrendous to think of them being caught up in a fire and the same for all wild life species of course

Our go to for walking and enjoyment.

That is utterly devastating. The ponies, cows, deer, birds, insects etc.

It is very sad. Of course it’s a holiday area too and traders are relying on the August tourists who may not be able to go now.

The poor ponies and other animals. I hope they can be rescued.

We love the New Forest, such a special place.

We love the New Forest, such a special place.

Indeed it is. My heart breaks for the wildlife wherever these fires break out.

Dreadful news.

I do think that national parks and nature reserves as well as all of our countryside really needs to be protected with new laws that prohibit access to it during times of drought. Of course all members of the public should be able to enjoy these areas but a minority are causing such wanton devastation of wildlife and forests that could take decades to recover, and not forgetting the danger to human life, either deliberately or because of utter stupidity.

My son was camping there at the weekend; I’m hoping that he’s back. We are losing far too many areas like this. Something has to be done.

Know it well, once we pass The Rufus Stone we feel we've well and truly entered the Forest. It's such a special place Pretty small towns and villages where it's not unusual to see the ponies ambling through This is so worrying as to the effects on that area.

I live very close to the fires! Anxious times

There are moorland and Forest fires all over the UK at the moment. In mid Wales there’s one burning now, quite near me, on Llangynidr Mountain, and the road is closed there too, and there was a bad one on Rhigos Mountain in the Rhondda last week. The fire services are really struggling, and the forces are also helping. I bet most people who live rurally are aware of one not far from them too, but I haven’t seen anything about the national picture.

Fallingstar

I do think that national parks and nature reserves as well as all of our countryside really needs to be protected with new laws that prohibit access to it during times of drought. Of course all members of the public should be able to enjoy these areas but a minority are causing such wanton devastation of wildlife and forests that could take decades to recover, and not forgetting the danger to human life, either deliberately or because of utter stupidity.

You can't close the A31 though. It was a van that caught fire on a main trunk road..

It is, of course, closed at the moment. Apparently the surface will need replacing. For the main route from Dorset to London, it is a real problem. Dorset is one of the few counties without a motorway.