YOUTHS who lit a campfire on an Oxenhope farmer’s land could have sparked a potentially disastrous blaze.

Jake Tomlinson, 23, of Shaw Farm, in Shaw Lane, said he had to confront a large group of youths trespassing on his property at about 1am.

He added they had vandalised a stone wall to help build the base of the fire, and one of them became abusive when he tried to get them to take their rubbish away. “It’s really not something I needed when I’d only finished work myself after 10pm,” he said. “It left me with a real headache and a big mess to clear up.”

He was supported by Worth Valley councillor Chris Herd, who is also an Oxenhope-based farmer.

Cllr Herd said: “With so many wild fires breaking out in this dry weather, deliberately lighting a fire in someone else’s field is extremely dangerous. Conditions are so dry right now it’s unbelievable, so I think this kind of behaviour is very irresponsible. Where are these kids’ parents? We need them to be stepping up and taking care of their kids better.”

Mr Tomlinson said he had been working late on Saturday, July 7, and was about to go to bed when he realised he had left some keys in his tractor.

When he went outside he spotted an orange glow in the darkness on his land, and also heard music playing.

He discovered about 15 to 20 teenagers with five tents, camping on his property and drinking alcohol around a fire.

“I told them to leave and put the fire out,” he said. “The lads had been drinking and one of them thought it would be a good idea to kick the fire, which sent embers flying into the dry grass.

“When they began to leave they weren’t taking their rubbish with them, which included glass bottles, broken glass, tent pegs, cans and some outdoor chairs they’d got from somewhere.

“One of the lads became abusive, when I told them to take the chairs away, and that’s when I called the police.

“This is a looked-after piece of land so it should have been obvious to them that they were on someone else’s property.”

Mr Tomlinson said he was able to extinguish the campfire himself, but a fire engine had still responded to the incident.

A police spokesman said officers had recorded a public order offence, and had contacted Mr Tomlinson for more details.