LOCAL Fire Crews in Bolton, England have made an urgent appeal for Sun Cream, Socks and Hats as local as Britain sends up to £14bn on overseas aid.
Fire Crews from Across the UK have been battling for five days to put out the blaze that is thought to have been started deliberately.
Crews from across the UK have been working to put out the fires on the Moors of Bolton known locally is Rivington or ‘Rivi’ to Boltoners.
Today bosses sent out an urgent appeal for sun cream, insect repellent, hats and socks.
The hot weather is said to have intensified the fire, with others breaking out close to Chorley, Lancs.
Temperatures are expected to stay at around 27C (80F) this week and its the UK’s hottest summer since 1976.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service told Politicalite “We are in urgent need of the following at Fire Stations across Bolton for Sun cream, Insect repellent, Baseball caps, Pairs of socks, thick and thin.
This is something the UK Government should be funding, In 2016, the UK spent £13.4 billion on overseas aid, in line with the 0.7% target.
That figure is expected to rise bigger over the next few years and experts think that by 2021, the UK could be spending about £14.5 billion, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts and in 2016 prices.
Crews from Manchester, Lancashire, Lincolnshire and further afield carried on the fight in the Bolton countryside as the fire continued to spread and across Moorlands.
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, (LAB) visited the scene to speak to firefighters and offer his support this morning.
He was also taken to the front line of the blaze to see the damage it had caused first-hand.
he called for more support for the firefighters, including air support, and said he would be asking the Government to take a closer interest in the major incident.
Mr Burnham told The Bolton Evening News: “It became clear over the weekend this situation was becoming much more serious and that’s why I’m here this morning.
“I wanted to see for myself just what latest situation is and to be honest it’s something of a shock to see just how close the fire came to the mast, which is key critical national infrastructure.
“I wanted to thank the firefighters they have been doing a brilliant job all weekend.”
“But one of the things I take away from this visit this morning is that I think they need more support, possibly air support.
“Later today I will be seeking a call with the Home Secretary to relay what I’ve seen and to ask the government to take a closer interest to what is happening on the ground here.
“This remains a challenging situation and we need to ensure necessary resources are being made available.”
It was revealed over the weekend that helicopters had spotted people on the moors attempting to start more fires.
When asked about this, Mr Burnham said it was “beggars belief” that people could do such a thing.
You can help the effort even if you are not from Bolton, Politicalite has set up a fundraising page and will be buying bottles of water, socks, suncream, hats, food and beer for the brave Firefighters, to help our appeal – DONATE HERE.
https://www.gofundme.com/fund-our-firefighters