FIRE crews are tonight attending the site of one of North Yorkshire's top visitor attractions.

Chris Price, CEO of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, tonight said: “We can confirm that the fire brigade is currently in attendance. 

"In these unprecedented times the NYMR is trying to keep its business open to protect livelihoods, and its very existence post Covid. 

"There is no doubt that we are considerably less sustainable running our trains with diesel locomotives. A decision was made following the recent rain to try and run a limited steam service to meet the wants of our customers whilst mitigating the risk by employing a third-party fire service company to patrol the most vulnerable areas of our lineside. 

“We apologise to those impacted and have today made the decision to totally remove steam from our timetable until further notice. 

"The heritage railway is doing everything it can to fully cooperate with the emergency services, taking every precaution to ensure the safety of both staff and passengers, which is always our priority. 

"We would like to thank the North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and our local gamekeepers for all their assistance."

More to follow.