Plants destroyed as large area of scenic walkway along river burnt

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A large area of vegetation has been burned along a popular river walkway in Renfrewshire.The damage was spotted by Margaret Tomlinson when she was out on a walk litter picking this morning along the path beside the White Cart Water near Porterfield Road in Renfrew.Margaret said that of the half mile stretch of vegetation along the path, three quarters of it (600 metres) had been charred.Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire.

Sign up to our newsletters here.She told us: “It made me so sad as I try and look after that wee bit of wildlife which is home to so much and very well used by lots of dog walkers, runners, cyclists etc.

but unfortunately it’s also used by folk having a drink etc. and I can only assume it was an accident.“Maybe a lit cigarette discarded without being put out and with the ground being so dry it has gone out of control, but who knows.

It could also have been deliberate as there have been fires in the woods before.”The area affected is home to hawthorn bushes, bramble bushes, buddleia, and more.It's not yet know how the fire was extinguished, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been contacted for comment.It comes after there were warnings for wildfire issued by SFRS earlier this week in response to the unusually hot weather experienced at the beginning of the week, when temperatures in Renfrewshire approached 30 degrees.Fire chiefs placed a ‘very high’ warning for the area and much of central, southern and eastern Scotland.The warning is in place up until and including July 22.Bruce Farquharson, Deputy Assistant Chief Officer with SFRS, said: “In a prolonged period of high temperatures, the risk of wildfires breaking out increases.“At this time of year, the ground