Back in the summer of 2019 Mohammed Zulkifl, 20 of Rufford Street, Bradford, was sentenced to 27 months detention for deliberately starting a fire on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire (see here).

A few days ago Viktor Riedly, 28, Huddersfield, West Yorks who accidentally started a fire on Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire was sent to jail for one year (see here). He lit a firework which went off and caused the blaze and although he tried to extinguish the fire it soon spread out of control.

Speaking of the first fire Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association, is quoted as saying: “Wildfires caused by arson are deliberate acts of environmental vandalism.

“They release thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases poisoning our planet, incinerate local wildlife and vegetation, and risks human health and even life.

“This case highlights the devastating consequences of uncontrollable wildfires on our moors. Zulkifl deserves his custodial sentence.”

We would wholeheartedly agree with Amanda Anderson but we are a little confused by the support that the Moorland Association and Amanda Anderson give to regular moorland burning by gamekeepers. It seems strange that a fire started by someone who isn’t an employee of the landowner is an act of environmental vandalism, incinerating wildlife and vegetation but one started by a gamekeeper in the hope of producing ‘better haabitat’ and more game birds to shoot is not.

We would love to hear from Amanda how she is able to maintain two apparently contradictory points of view at the same time or does she now believe that Mr Zulkifl does not deserve his custodial sentence?