Firefighters investigate Lawford field fire

Crews called for the public to avoid Dedham Road in Lawford this afternoon, Thursday, so they could deal with the incident.

A tweet from the service said: "We are currently tackling a large field fire in Lawford.

"Please avoid the area so our crews can safely deal with the fire."

Five fire crews were sent to tackle the flames, which are believed to have started at about 3.30pm.

When officers arrived they reported that around 300m of the field of standing crops was on fire.

The fire officer requested extra firefighters to help tackle the blaze.

A spokesman said: "Firefighters worked hard to stop the fire spreading to nearby stables and sucessfully extinguished the fire by 4.40pm.

"Firefighters stayed at the incident to check for any remaining hot spots and ensure the scene was safe."

The spokesman added that an investigation into the cause of the fire will take place in due course.

Chris Tuck, who drove past the fire, said: "Fire crews were just arriving when I went through.

"I went the other way half an hour before and there was nothing.

"You could feel the heat in the car.

“It was just a wall of fire, you could hear the crop crackling, the smoke was heavy and the heat was intense."

The blaze comes after a series of recent fires across the UK, as the country experiences an ongoing heatwave, including Staly Bridge near Manchester.