Wildfire 'overlooked' as it was in the North - MP

A "huge and devastating" wildfire in the North York Moors last year was "overlooked" by the government and national media because it was in the north of England, a Labour MP has said.

Alison Hume's Scarborough and Whitby constituency includes the 10 sq mile (25 sq km) area of Langdale Moor which was ravaged by a fire which burned for more than 40 days.

"There was very little interest from the national media," she said, adding that in recent weeks there had been "smaller wildfires in the South that received a lot of coverage".

The government said it was "supporting every part of the country that has been affected by wildfire - not just the South".

Hume said she had been "surprised" that national news outlets did not cover the Fylingdales fire "for weeks".

"It's been very noticeable that since there's been wildfires in the South, the coverage has gone through the roof."

Hume added that she "wouldn't want to draw anything away from how serious" a blaze in Stourbridge was last week.

"With the 19 homes totally destroyed, that was off the scale and devastating," she said.