Tyres dumped and then set on fire at a Dundee nature reserve posed a “serious risk” to both visitors and wildlife.
Firefighters were called to tackle the deliberate blaze at the Miley Nature Reserve on Wednesday afternoon.
Smoke was seen billowing close to the Clepington Road entrance shortly before 2pm.
Firefighters arrived to discover a pile of tyres and other rubbish had been set alight.
A fire engine used the Clepington Trade Park entrance to access the popular reserve, which is home to songbirds and wildflowers.
Staff at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which manages the reserve, hit out at the “incredibly irresponsible behaviour”.
Rab Potter, reserves manager at the trust, said: “Deliberately starting fires is incredibly irresponsible behaviour that poses a serious risk to both people and wildlife.
“This fire could have quickly spread, resulting in lasting damage to an important haven for wildlife.
“We’d like to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for dealing with this incident before further damage was caused.
“Volunteers work hard to carry out regular litter picks at the Miley but unfortunately fly-tipping and littering are ongoing issues, both on the reserve and in wild places throughout Scotland.”
Scorched land
One witness said: “I assumed something happened within the trade park at first.
“As I walked towards it I saw smoke coming from the trees in The Miley.
“Thankfully as the firies arrived it looked like it was fairly contained but the smoke was thick.
“You could see the the area was scorched.”
The man added: “Imagine if the fire had taken hold?
“It could have caused a lot of damage to the wildlife, you generally see songbirds and the likes.
“The fire service appeared to have it under control fairly quickly and were away in under an hour.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said a call was received at 1.51pm and the fire is being treated as deliberate.
She said: “We received a call after a quantity of tyres had caught fire in the open within The Miley at around 1.51pm.
“The fire is being treated as deliberate.”
Previously a railway line linking Newtyle and Dundee, The Miley has become popular with dog walkers and cyclists since it was taken on by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
The wildlife trust asks anyone who spots fly-tipping to report it online via Zero Waste Scotland or by calling 0300 777 2292.”
