Current timestamp: 01/02/2023 13:44:43
AgeAlertAnonymousAppealsApplicationsApply Or RegisterArea OutlineArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow UpAutomatic DoorsBack ArrowBusinessCalendarCashArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow Down[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-chrome' for 'English (United Kingdom)']ClockCloseContactDirectionsDocumentDownloadDrawDrugExpandExternal LinkFacebookFb CommentFb LikeFiletype DefaultFiletype DocFiletype PdfFiletype PptFiletype XlsFinance[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-firefox' for 'English (United Kingdom)']First AidFlickrFraudGive FeedbackGlobeGuide DogHealthHearing ImpairedInduction LoopInfoInstagramIntercom[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-internet-explorer' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LaptopLiftLinkedinLocal ActivityLoudspeakerLow CounterMailMapMap PinMembershipMenuMenu 2[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-microsoft-edge' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Missing PeopleMobility ImpairmentNationalityNorth PointerOne Mile RadiusOverviewPagesPaper PlaneParkingPdfPhonePinterestPlayPushchairRefreshReportRequestRestart[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-rotate-clockwise' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Rss[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-safari' for 'English (United Kingdom)']SearchShareSign LanguageSnapchatStart AgainStatsStats And Prevention AdviceStopSubscribeTargetTattosTell Us AboutTickTumblrTwenty Four HoursTwitterTwitter LikeTwitter ReplyTwitter RetweetUploadVisually ImpairedWhatsappWheelchairWheelchair AssistedWheelchair ParkingWheelchair RampWheelchair WcYoutubeZoom InZoom Out

Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site

Skip to main content

Skip to main navigation

Welcome

This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.

Show me the site

Leicestershire Police logo

Search this website

Main navigation menu

  • Report

    Back to Report

    • Crime
    • Domestic abuse
    • Rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences
    • Road traffic incident
    • Report antisocial behaviour
    • Missing person
    • Fraud, bribery or corruption
    • Civil disputes
    • Lost or found property
    • Lost or stolen vehicles
  • Tell us about

    Back to Tell us about

    • Tell us about possible terrorist activity
    • How to tell us about something you've seen or heard
    • A procession or event you are planning
    • Filming
    • Abnormal vehicle load
  • Apply or register

    Back to Apply or register

    • Careers
    • Charity collection licences
    • Compensation for victims of crime
    • Firearm, shotgun or explosives certificate
    • Attend a misconduct hearing
  • Request

    Back to Request

    • A collision report
    • Intellectual property (IP) licence
    • Your fingerprints
    • Information: about the police, about yourself or someone else
  • Thanks and complaints

    Back to Thanks and complaints

    • Complaints
    • Say thanks
    • Feedback about the website
  • Your area

Breadcrumb

  1. ...
  2. News

Operation Clock aims to prevent fires during the harvest season

Main article content

Navigation

News

15:42 18/08/2021

Leicestershire Police has joined forces with Northamptonshire Police’s Rural Crime Team and fire and rescue service to launch an operation to tackle haystack fires this summer.

Operation Clock has been set up to coincide with the harvest season which last year saw six arson attacks in Northamptonshire and a further four in Leicestershire, which had a significant impact on farming and rural communities.

Such reckless acts not only cost hundreds of thousands in damages to the valuable crop harvest, they also cost the fire and rescue services on average £150,000 to attend per incident.   

Through education and enforcement, the operation aims to prevent deliberate hay and straw stack fires as well as provide a joint approach to investigating suspected arsons.

Sergeant Paul Archer of Leicestershire’s Rural Policing Team said: “Without hay, a farmer cannot feed their animals. Not only is it devastating to a farmer, it can also have very significant financial implications – a haystack can be worth more than £40,000 so it can have a huge impact on farmers. 

“To set fire to something which has taken a year to grow and harvest is pointless and puts lives and livelihoods at risk. We need the community to come together and tell us what they know. If you see any people or vehicles acting suspiciously, please tell us.”

PC Abbey Anstead of Northamptonshire Police’s Rural Crime Team said: “With the better weather comes the busiest time of year for our arable farmers as they get ready to harvest the result of 12 months of hard work.

“With this though comes its own hazards, one being hay and straw stacks being deliberately set on fire both out in the fields and on farmyards, which not only has a huge financial impact but endangers lives. 

“Working with our colleagues from the fire and rescue services and Leicestershire Police, we will be promoting farm safety and providing crime prevention advice to prevent arsons as well as investigate any reports of suspected arson.”

Andy Evans, from Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service and the co-ordinator of the Arson Task Force, said: “The setting of deliberate fires needlessly puts both members of the public and our firefighters at risk of harm. It also needlessly diverts our resources away from other incidents where lives could be in danger.

“Setting haystacks on fire can have a massive impact on rural businesses and communities, and we will ensure we do everything we can to prevent these kinds of incidents in the first place.

“We would strongly urge people to think of the impact their actions may have, and our police colleagues will thoroughly investigate any incidents of this kind that do take place.”

Sanjay Bulsara, Station Manager Fire Protection at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, added: “Not only do haystack fires cost farming businesses thousands of pounds, they also cause huge disruption to rural communities.

“What might look like a small fire has the potential to spread very easily and become major fires very quickly. These fires put our crews at risk and could also delay our ability to respond to another emergency.

“We will continue to work hard to prevent these incidents from taking place, and we encourage farming communities to take steps to protect their property from arson attacks.”

Farming and rural communities are being encouraged to take these simple steps to help prevent incidents:

  • Carry out a fire risk assessment to identify hazards and people at risk, and keep a written copy
  • Do not build stacks to close to buildings or hedge rows
  • Keep stacks at least 10 metres away from each other and nearby buildings and hedge rows
  • Keep stacks away from fuel, fertilizer, machinery and overhead power lines
  • Ensure you remove hay and straw from the harvest field as soon as possible. If it needs to be left overnight, block any access routes to it
  • Do not build stacks over underground services such as gas pipes and water mains
  • Avoid siting stacks near to public access and roads as they could be vulnerable to fires from discarded cigarettes or deliberate ignition
  • Find out where the nearest open water supplies are, available for possible fire service access
  • Remove waste products regularly to minimise the risk
  • Download the What3Words app to help provide an exact location to the emergency services
  • In the event of a fire, call 999. If possible, send someone out on to the nearest road to direct the emergency services to the fire

Anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity when out and about in farming and rural communities, around hay or straw stacks, is asked to call Northamptonshire or Leicestershire Police on 101, quoting Operation Clock.

If anyone has any information about a deliberate fire-setting incident, please let us know via FireStoppers, which is anonymous by calling 0800 169 5558 or visiting www.firestoppersreport.co.uk. Anyone who witnesses a fire in progress should call 999 immediately.

Haystack fires.jpg

Share

Is there a problem with this page?

Footer navigation

We use cookies on this site to give you a better, more personalised experience.

I'm fine with cookies I'd like to manage the cookies

Leicestershire Police

  • Contact us
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Campaigns
  • News
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookies
  • Terms and conditions
  • Accessibility

Information and services

  • Advice and information
  • Crime prevention
  • Stats and data
  • Accessing information (FOI)
  • Report
  • Tell us about
  • Apply or register
  • Request
  • Thanks and complaints

Partners

  • Police.uk
  • Ask the Police
  • Police and Crime Commissioner

Follow us on

© Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.