REPORTS into two major blazes in the county have highlighted equipment failures and organisational shortcomings in the fire service.

Deputy chief fire officer for North Yorkshire Nigel Hutchinson said that firefighters dealing with blazes on Fylingdales Moor and at a timber yard, in Northallerton, experienced serious communication difficulties.

At the height of the Fylingdales fire, which began on September 17, more than 100 firefighters were at the scene.

A helicopter was used to drop water and 19 fire engines attended the blaze on four square miles of moorland.

Firefighters did not leave the scene until 27 days after the first call as they continued to monitor hotspots and deal with residual burning.

Mr Hutchinson, who compiled the reports, said: "Communications proved to be erratic and unreliable in the remote areas involved at this incident scene.

"In some areas, fire service radios were inoperable but mobile phones could be used. In other areas the contrary was the case."

He also said there should have been better information on where specialist and support equipment, such as portable toilets, quad bikes and earth-moving equipment to construct firebreaks, could be found so they could have been provided more quickly.

Forty people had to be evacuated from their homes when North Yorkshire Timber's Northallerton warehouse caught fire in October.

Fire investigators said the blaze started in a company vehicle parked inside the compound of the premises.

Mr Hutchinson said about this incident: "Communication difficulties were experienced when using hand-held fire ground radios, some of which could not communicate between the back and the front of the premises.

"These were identified as older-style radios which should be replaced as soon as possible under the brigade radio replacement scheme.

"Some difficulties were encountered as to the precise roles and responsibilities of officers given specific functions within the incident command system."

The reports about the two fires will go before a meeting of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority's audit and performance review committee being held in Easingwold on Friday.