YORK Council’s Leader has backed a ban on heather burning to save the region’s peat moors from being damaged for grouse shooting.

Councillor Keith Aspden has stated that the environmentally-damaging practice must also end to help stop flooding in communities on the River Ouse.

Cllr Aspden said: “A ban on this ecologically destructive practice, is vital in order to protect our environment, wildlife and communities.

“We urge you to commit to delivering on this Government’s promise before the grouse moor burning season opens in less than three months, to ensure our local communities, wildlife and the environment is protected from any further harm.”

Peatlands in the headwaters of the River Ouse contain vegetation, such as sphagnum moss, which acts like a sponge to hold rainfall in the hills, which in turn prevents flooding.

However, when burning is conducted the sensitive mosses are damaged, leading to large amounts of rainfall channelled downstream.

During the last burning season, Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors, which monitors ecological damage on grouse moors, compiled more than 550 reports of peatlands being burnt by shoot operators across the county.