Farmers are being urged to assess the risk of fires after 70 hay bales were set alight on a farm in Berwickshire, Scotland.
The importance of fire control plans are being underscored following the incident, which police believe was deliberate.
Crews attended the farm, located near Earlston, on Saturday 5 October after arsonists set 70 hay bales on fire.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Services attended and extinguished it, with an investigation into the cause later determining it as deliberate.
Police Scotland detective constable, Liam Myers said: “Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of the fire.
“We are carrying out a review of CCTV to identify who is responsible. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting 3126 of Saturday 5 October 2024.”
According to the most recent statistics from NFU Mutual, there were over 2,200 farm fire claims in 2022, costing farmers £83.5 million.
NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, Hannah Binns said the rural insurer was particularly 'very concerned' about the rise in number of arson attacks.
"[It is] a frightening prospect considering farms are not only farmers’ place of work but often their family home," she added.
“We are urging everyone to be on their guard and improve their security to help prevent their business going up in smoke.”
How can I better protect against fire?
NFU Mutual Risk Management Services has issued farming businesses five fire safety tips:
• Have a plan in place – Put people at the heart of your fire plan and ensure everyone on site knows what to do in the event of a fire.
• Don’t mess with electrics - Electrical faults are a major cause of fire whilst electric shock can cause death or severe injury.
• Suppress the risk – suppression systems are a major game changer for the industry and play a critical role in detecting, containing and extinguishing fire.
• Keep on top of your housekeeping – Good housekeeping is essential to ensure materials and machinery are stored correctly and to eliminate dust and debris.
• Control hot work – Welding, cutting or grinding equipment, along with blow lamps and blow torches can produce sparks which can turn into fires if they hit a combustible material.
