We are working with and on behalf of the landowners of Darwen Moor* to improve the habitat for a wide array of benefits for both nature and society. Such benefits include wildfire risk reduction, flood risk reduction, drought resilience, increased local biodiversity, carbon sequestration and the overall improvement of green spaces.

*Landowners: Lords Hall Estate, United Utilities, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

On Darwen Moor, historically drains were cut into the peat to remove water from the moor to allow for grazing animals, predominantly sheep. Over time this has led to the formation of large drainage channels and the overall damage and degradation of the moorland.

As a result of this certain plant species, such as purple moor grass, have become dominant and are outcompeting other plant life. Not only do these species crowd out the peatland plants, but the dry leaves are a reason why the moors are such a high risk for wildfires.

The added combination of drier summers and drained land has led to an increased risk of wildfires. Over time, to return the moor back to its semi-natural state we need to keep water on the moor by blocking drainage channels. Only then, once the water is kept on the moor, can native peatland plants such as sphagnum moss begin to repopulate.

Project staff spend several days taking measurements, photos and establishing what restoration methods are needed for the specific area that is going to be restored. All the methods used on Darwen Moor are well established peatland restoration techniques that have been proven on multiple upland areas across the UK.

The team then goes through a rigorous process to select a specialist peatland contractor that will carry out the work on our behalf. All permissions and consents, such as SSSI* and landowner, are put in place before the work can start. We work very closely with the Natural England* local area team when designing restoration plans.

When the contractors are working on the restoration area, project staff closely oversee work to check on progress and rectify any issues that may arise. On completion, project staff will check over all the installed restoration methods, and a final sign off the site is agreed between the Lancashire Peat Partnership, Natural England and the landowner.  

*SSSI (Site of Significant Scientific Interest) consent is a legally binding agreement. If we are in breach of any of the conditions that lead to damage, an enforcement case can be held against us.

*Natural England is the government advisor for the natural environment of England.

The machinery used by specialist contractors must be low ground pressure vehicles. This means that they need to have less than 3psi* (Humans on average have 16psi ground pressure).

While there appears to be damage during and directly after work completion, in almost all cases, the damage caused by tracked vehicles will disappear within a few months as the vegetation recovers.

Project officers continue to monitor any disturbance created during the restoration works and if necessary, will rectify the issues as soon as feasibly possible.

*psi – pound-force per square inch

The materials used in restoration projects must be a certain specification. For example, any timber that has been used is untreated larch, which is known to be resistant to rot when underwater.

Peat dams and peat bunds are created using peat from the immediate area next to where the dam is constructed and all the Darwen Moor peat dams have used peat from within the bunding area.

Coir (coconut husk) is not a common material used in high quantities and is typically only used where the conditions of the land are not suitable for any other material. Coir helps to slow the flow of water whilst also catching peat sediment in the fibres. On some areas of Darwen Moor, we have used coir in combination with timber to create dams.

To date, the Lancashire Peat Partnership have not used plastic piling on any restoration sites and this would only be used as a very last resort if needed.

One of the important factors behind the peatland restoration is to reduce the risk of wildfire on the moor. The West Pennine Moors are particularly susceptible to wildfire due to the amount of purple moor grass that has been able to out compete other plants. This grass can create very dry conditions and is incredibly easy to ignite from the smallest spark.

While most people will remember the devastating Winter Hill wildfire in 2018, Darwen Moor has burnt at least two times since then in 2020 and 2023.

A wet moor doesn’t burn. This is why the water needs to be held on site and not allowed to run off through old drainage systems. If a fire does break out, it will cause minimal damage and is less likely to reach the carbon rich peat layer underground which can fuel the fire and make it much harder to extinguish.

A healthy peatland will hold water on the hill and will slow the flow of water down from the moor. Historic drainage systems stop the moors from holding water and increase the rate of which water flows off the hills. This can lead to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.

While these floods might not happen in the direct Darwen vicinity, they do occur in the Darwen catchment area, so it is important that we slow the flow of water to naturally protect at the at-risk areas.

The peatland restoration work aims to improve the foraging and breeding habitat conditions for a range of wildlife, and the works undertaken on Darwen are already seeing an increase in biodiversity.

On the large bunding area created on the Lord’s Hall Estate, we have seen a significant increase of dragonfly and damselfly numbers, as well as increased sightings of ground nesting birds such as golden plover and curlew, a red list endangered species.

Along with planting sphagnum mosses, we are also looking at introducing other peatland plant life such as bog cranberry and cross leaved heath, that will further boost the biodiversity on the moor.

Some of the restoration methods can look quite drastic at first and you might be able to visibly see features such as bunding. However, within a year the bunding area created on the Lord’s Hall Estate had already been covered in vegetation and blends into the landscape.

Stone and timber dams installed in the drainage ditches aim to catch sediment. Over a long period of time, the sediment caught will build up, vegetation will grow, and the dams and ditches should no longer be visible.

Where works are happening, the Lancashire Peat Partnership team don’t simply keep an eye on the habitat, we also keep an eye on the public rights of way. Where these paths run through restoration areas, we closely monitor the paths to see if the work is having an impact, but we also check for potential external impacting factors such as vehicles, illegal motor vehicles and if the paths were previously damaged.

If a path seems to be degrading due to the restoration works, the team will look to repair and improve them as soon as feasibly possible, working in partnership with the landowner and local authorities.

Darwen Moor is designated as a Site of Significant Scientific Interest (SSSI) partly due to the ground nesting birds that breed there. Our works must occur outside the bird breeding season, which runs from February to August. During this period, no heavy peatland restoration work can be carried out, to avoid disturbing the birds.

The large plastic lined pool that has appeared on Darwen is a fire pond and was a request from the landowner. The pit used to be a functional fire pond but has not held any water in the past few years. The landowner tried to repair the pit with natural materials, but none seemed to hold.

While the Lancashire Peat Partnership was working on site, the landowner asked if we could reinstate the fire pond as a supply of water in case of wildfires. The new fire pond was created by peatland specialist contractors with previous experience of this type of work, and with SSSI consent and permission from Natural England.

Over time the area around the pool will naturally revegetate and the plastic lining will no longer be visible. The pool also provides a wonderful habitat for wildlife such as dragonflies.

The Lancashire Peat Partnership has delivered work on land that is owned by United Utilities and farmed by tenant farmers. During the initial stages of the peatland restoration project, our staff held a meeting with farmers to discuss the works. We will always try to resolve any concerns raised by farmers.