Three teenagers due in court following investigation into Parkgate marshland fire last year

Three teenagers have been summoned to appear at West Cheshire Youth Court on 5 April to face charges of arson and damaging a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) without notice.

The case involves a fire that occurred on marshland in Parkgate, near Neston, in March last year.

Due to legal restrictions, the identities of the three boys, one aged 14 and two aged 15, cannot be disclosed.

The fire occurred shortly before 7pm on Saturday, 19 March 2022.

Smoke and flames from the blaze could clearly be seen from the Flintshire side of the River Dee.

At its height, six fire engines attended the scene, with crews using beaters and hose reel jets to fight the fire.

Satellite images captured before and after the huge blaze on marshland near Parkgate show the full extent of damage caused to important reedbeds looked after by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The marshland supports an array of breeding birds, including bearded tits, Cetti’s warblers, and marsh harriers.

The RSPB said at the time it would be a “year or two at the earliest” before the area would be able to support breeding birds again.

“About 10 hectares of the marsh was burnt in the fire, including all the reedbed vegetation and some areas of saltmarsh vegetation.”