Around the Coast: North West

By Judith Wolf | Fri Mar 25 2022

Fire on saltmarsh at Parkgate destroys habitat

Fire crews and six engines from Cheshire and Merseyside fire tackled the blaze on marshland on the Dee Estuary at Parkgate after being called out at about 6.20pm on Saturday 19th March, on a low spring tide. It is thought that the fire was started deliberately, and police are investigating the incident. The fire crews (partly thanks to the wind direction) were able to protect local housing and the next high tide put out the remaining fire.

A large area of reedbed was destroyed, which will no doubt regenerate, but a marsh harrier pair that had started nest building just days before the fire, have lost their nest, and many other animals and birds have lost their habitat and been displaced, at least temporarily. Wetlands are a great sink for carbon dioxide but burning them obviously releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere!

Read more on the RSPB website here.

New seawall at West Kirby sparks controversy

Wirral Council is building a sea wall to defend the residents inside the Marine Lake at West Kirby from coastal flooding (West Kirby Flood Alleviation scheme). Despite earlier consultation (2015-2019) there is still concern that the sea view will be blocked from the inshore side, although there will be access to the offshore side for pedestrians.

Read more on the Wirral council website here.