Pupils told of no-go areas by fire chiefs

SCHOOLCHILDREN are being told to avoid danger areas when playing as part of efforts to reduce accidents.

Fire officers are visiting schools across Newcastle borough this term with a new Powerpoint presentation designed to warn youngsters about the dangers of certain environments.

The ongoing spoil heap fire on land off Hollywood Lane, Keele, is one such danger area, although officers will not give specific examples during the presentation, fearing that could actually attract young people.

Residents and councillors have long been calling for action over the fire fearing tragic consequences if it is not made safe.

Firefighters are regularly called out to the fire, but will not risk going into the land themselves because it is so dangerous.

The fire has been burning for three years, blackening the earth and creating dangerous cavities beneath the surface.

Fire officers hope the visits to schools will discourage children from endangering their lives by entering areas such as Hollywood Lane, meaning hazardous rescue attempts will not be needed.

Risk reduction officer Carmel Warren said: "The areas we will discuss will include open water, disused mining sites and derelict buildings.

"We won't talk specifically about certain areas, such as the fire in Keele, as young people will just go straight there.

"But we will talk about the dangers of old mining sites in general, such as the risk of underground voids. We are definitely becoming more proactive; not just waiting for accidents to happen, but to try and stop them from happening."

Ms Warren and her colleagues have already visited Newcastle Community High School and aim to get to every school in Newcastle this term.

Newcastle Borough Council has just adopted a new enforcement strategy, which it hopes will allow it to deal with environmental and community safety issues.

But some councillors feel that the failure to deal with the problem in Hollywood Lane could undermine this strategy.

Councillor Richard Gorton, who represents the Knutton and Silverdale ward, said: "I think the council could have a credibility problem here. You don't have to spend a lot of time in Silverdale before people will come up to and talk about the underground fire.

"People do feel let down. It is a complicated problem, and a challenging, difficult situation. The council does have these enforcement powers, but when there is a real environmental problem, the council backs away."

Newcastle MP Paul Farrelly also feels that the council's policy of allowing the fire to burn out is wrong.

He said: "To suggest that the fires be allowed simply to continue unchecked is not acceptable to local people.

"Enforcement notices have been served on the landowner on health and safety grounds, but nothing has been followed through. This is totally timid. The council is showing itself to be a toothless tiger and this is a green light for anyone to flout the law."

Robin Studd, deputy leader of the borough council, said the fire was actually Staffordshire County Council's responsibility.

He said: "It is not a failure of the borough council to take enforcement action, but the county council. We have been trying to get them to do something about it.

"We don't know when the fire is going to stop, or what the extent of it is. We are working in the dark here."

But landowners Roger and Dee Griffith do not believe enforcement is the issue.

Mrs Griffith said: "The point that people are missing is that you can't do anything about it. If you try and dig up the material it will just completely ignite.

"We didn't start the fire. It's just been a very unfortunate situation for us."