FIREFIGHTERS spent the evening tackling a blaze which spread to three large trees.

A large pile of waste cut straw at Beech Hill caught fire at around 6.30pm last night and spread to three large trees.

A spokesman from Whitley Wood station, Dan Smith, said: "The straw was all piled up but we have been to incidents in the past there but the farmer was adamant that he had not lit a bonfire. So we came to the conclusion that someone lit the straw deliberately.

We had a spate of incidents in some wodland not far from there over the last few weeks. The police attended but the farmer was convinced he hadn't lit anything."

Fortunately the farmer had a grab machine which the crews used to rake all the cut straw. 

He added: "Initially we sent one pump but because of the amount of water we were shuttling back and forth so we had to call another pump.

"We went back and forwards throughout the night and we last checked the trees to make sure it was all out at half past ten last night."

Pumps from Whitley Wood and Mortimer attended the scene.