A wildfire that broke out at a protected nature reserve was successfully halted by recent conservation work to protect peatlands, experts have confirmed.

Conservationists say the blaze at Highfield Moss, near Wigan, on Thursday, 16 April, could have been a potential disaster for the site’s rare wildlife and nature.

But the Lancashire Wildlife Trust says the fire was stopped in its tracks by its “rewetting” system designed to protect the peatland.