Will tourism suffer following devastating wildfire?

For years, Dunwich Heath and Minsmere on the Suffolk coast have attracted thousands of visitors thanks to the beautiful scenery and rare habitats, but following a huge wildfire the landscape could take 25 years to fully recover. Now, local people are nervous about a potential loss to year-round tourism that could prove another bitter pill to swallow.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters were called to the blaze, which has engulfed 150 hectares (371 acres) of land since it began on Wednesday.

Dunwich Heath, run by the National Trust, and the adjacent RSPB Minsmere, where the fire began, have been closed for the foreseeable future.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has also urged people to stay away from the area while the blaze gets fully put out.

Deputy leader of East Suffolk Council, Paul Ashton, said if closures were to become permanent it would be "devastating".

"As well as it being such a unique place in terms of habitat and the bird species and the attraction that brings, it brings a lot of people to the local area," he explained.

"I live in a village just down from here.

"Many of the holiday lets and the B&Bs have people going to Minsmere coming to stay, and then they do other things as well.

"But Minsmere's the thing that brings a lot of people into the area."

He added: "Does that [fire] discourage people from coming? Obviously I want people to come, there's still loads of great stuff to see in Suffolk.

"But I think as a council we're going to need to work very closely with all those organisations and really look to the government to give us a bit of assistance here, because it's going to cost a bit to get this sorted."

On Tuesday, a government spokesperson said it was investing nearly £100m into tackling wildfires, which included specialist equipment and training for firefighters.

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The National Trust said the area became an increasingly popular destination for tourists following World War Two.

There are several camping and holiday sites nearby including Cliff House Holiday Park, where the fire came just 15m (49ft) from its property boundary.

Timothy Hay, managing director of the park, said he was confident the site would be back open soon and the wider area would recover.

"I think the National Trust are very well organised and they will obviously start planning to replant and sort the area out," he said.

"But it will take them years, probably decades, for it to recover.

"It's very, very sad what's happened with the fire... especially for the animals and the wildlife.

"But we are in a beautiful part of the Suffolk Heritage Coast.

"There's still a lot of lovely things to do and see, and I know we'll be as popular as ever when we can reopen."

Geoff Abell, treasurer of St James Church in Dunwich, said the annual flower festival due to take place over the weekend had to be cancelled due to the blaze.

Usually it would see more than 1,000 people attend and raise £6,000 for the church, but instead a private event was held for local people - where the mood was "pretty subdued".

"It was a very quiet weekend," said Abell. "It felt in the village rather like the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown.

"It's been so empty."

Abell said he had questioned whether the area would eventually recover, but stressed he and his wife would remain in the village.

Liz Hatten is the manager of Dunwich Cliffs Estate, which has 137 static caravans.

The fire came within yards of the park and, similar to Cliff House Holiday Park, it remains shut for the time being.

However, she is due to speak to the fire service on Friday to discuss the next steps.

"Someone just asked me the same question, 'What does it mean to us as a business?' and I think as a business, we're just grateful that we've still got one," she said.

"If we have to be closed for two weeks, then we do.

"I can't even look at it in a business way. I'm just looking at it in a grateful way."

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said crews would remain in the area this week, to ensure all hot spots get dampened down.

In an update on Tuesday, it said it was having to escort dog walkers and other people who were visiting the area or getting lost, despite restrictions being in place.

It stressed the fire was stable but the danger was "far from over" and asked people to stay away.

The National Trust said it would need "time to assess the damage and impact" of the fire, and in future volunteers would be needed to help with recovery efforts. This week it also started an urgent fundraising appeal.

RSPB Minsmere said its focus at the moment remained on tackling the fire before it looked towards recovery.

Additional reporting by Alex Dunlop and Richard Daniel.

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