THE telecommunications firm which owns the Winter Hill mast has praised the actions of a company who worked to protect the site during the recent moorland fires.

Ground Control, an external maintenance and landscaping specialist, provided emergency assistance to Arqiva, helping to cut down vegetation and prevent the fire from spreading after the blaze was sparked on June 28.

A team from Ground Control then returned the following day to give further assistance clearing more vegetation, maintaining land and ensuring that no assets were destroyed.

David Blackwell, contract and site services manager at Arqiva, said: “The work by the Ground Control team played a huge part in protecting the security of a very significant Arqiva site and national TV and Radio broadcasting asset. I really appreciate your support to help Arqiva out when required – this means a lot.”

The Winter Hill mast is the second largest television transmitter in the country serving 7 million people.

However, despite the moorland fire spreading to cover over 18 square kilometres at its height and taking more than 40 days to put out, thanks to the work of Ground Control and the fire service the transmitter was not affected by the blaze.

Ian Cooper, Ground Control contract manager, said: “Every team member went the extra mile to ensure we did our bit to protect the environment and support our customer in their time of need. Thanks go to everyone involved for responding so quickly on this, a real team effort.”