The fires could destroy the nesting area of rare birds

A charity said the fires had been devastating for rare birds which nest in heather.

The fires covered areas in Derbyshire and Staffordshire at Kinder Scout, Bleaklow, Saddleworth Moor and the Roaches.

Many of them completely destroyed vegetation in the area killing wildlife and spoiling a unique habitat.

It is going to take years and years for bird populations to recover Roy Taylor, RSPB

Some are thought to have been started deliberately.

Roy Taylor, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, told BBC News Online the area was of international importance and designated as a Special Protection Area.

"It is nothing more than a conservation disaster.

"It is going to take years and years for bird populations to recover."

Rare birds such as the merlin, short-eared owls and the golden plover may not return to last year's numbers for more than a decade, he said.

"There isn't anywhere else for them to go because it is such a rare habitat which is why it is so protected."