Water being taken from River Nene to help fight fire at Holme Fen

The Environment Agency said that the rare move was needed as the fire burns for a seventh day.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Due to extremely low water levels, we have issued a navigational closure notice to users of the River Nene between Dog in a Doublet Lock and Orton Lock near Peterborough.

“This action follows the very dry weather and the need for Cambridgeshire Fire Service to abstract water from the Nene, because of the on-going wildfire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve.

“Our officers continue to work with the Fire Service, Natural England and partners to bring this incident to a close.”

If people see environmental concerns they should call the Environment Agency’s 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.

Residents across Peterborough have been smelling smoke from the blaze throughout the week – and especially over the past few hours, thanks to a change in the wind direction.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have said that the blaze is likely to burn for ‘days to come.’

Pictures from the fire service have shown the devastation the fire has caused at the nature reserve.

Previously, crews have spoken of the dangers of falling trees and unstable ground in the area. They have been working day and night in the hot, dry conditions to ensure the area stays safe.

Now Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow has written to the chief fire officer, Matthew Warren, praising the efforts of the firefighters that have travelled from across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and further afield to tackle the flame.

In the letter, he said: “I wanted to write to express my sincere thanks to you and everyone involved in the ongoing response to the fire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve. It is clearly a significant operation, involving more than 80 firefighters alongside support from neighbouring services, Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, Airbourne Solutions and the local farming community. It has been impressive to see everyone working together in such difficult circumstances.

“Please pass on my thanks and appreciation to all the crews who have been working tirelessly since Saturday to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. I know they are continuing to work in extremely challenging conditions.

“I am also very conscious that this incident comes alongside a number of other significant fires the Service has had to deal with, while continuing to ensure crews and resources remain available to respond to the normal range of emergency callouts across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

“On behalf of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, thank you. Please do let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”