Coal safety chiefs have sent crews to Ayrshire to deal with a burning field.
The field in Patna, East Ayrshire has been burning for "three years" with soil smouldering due to the intense heat.
Last week, concerned dad Tam Paton, who stays in the village, feared the field which has a lava-like substance running underneath it was “a serious risk to life.”
Tam, 30, took Ayrshire Live down to the site which is just 10 minutes away from the main shops in Patna and is around the size of a football field.
Looking on as smoke poured out from the gaps in the ground, Tam said: “There is no chance that this area is safe enough.
“Anybody could step on the wrong bit of ground and they’d be a goner.
“It’s not just that, this area is really popular with dog walkers. What if your dog was to run off the leash and into the pit, there would be no chance of saving it.
“It also has an adverse effect on wildlife, there’s a lot of rabbits here; one wrong move and they could be killed.
“My biggest concern is obviously for my young kids. With this being Patna, they are always out on their bikes and quads up into the fields.
“A lot of youngsters like to go up there and maybe have a wee party up in the woods.
“What would happen if they were to stumble across that after a few drinks It doesn’t bear thinking about, it's a tragedy waiting to happen.
“The worrying thing is it is attracting a lot of attention, you get folk travelling from outside Ayrshire to walk their dogs then they discover this and word gets around.”
Coal safety chiefs have confirmed they were alerted to the burning coal seam in Patna in 2019 and tried to fence off the danger zone.
The Coal Authority has sent a regional team to address the issue.
But safety fences have been slammed as inadequate by Tam who says more needs to be done to segregate the area.
East Ayrshire Council said last week that those fences had been removed by “unknown parties.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is also working in the area with the Coal Authority.
Mick Owens, head of public safety and subsidence at the Coal Authority, said: "We were first made aware of a burning coal seam in this area in 2019 when we put measures in place to keep people safe and regularly monitor the site.
“As this site remains in private ownership we are working closely with partners at East Ayrshire Council and Forestry and Land Scotland to ensure the situation continues to be managed correctly.
“We have deployed members of our regional team to the site to ensure the fencing is secure and that members of the public remain safe.
"As part of our work to keep people safe and provide peace of mind, coal mine hazards can be reported to us 24/7 on 0800 288 4242.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "SFRS are aware of this issue and are working with the Coal Authority to address local concerns."
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