Dramatic pictures show extent of three north-west Essex farm fires

Dramatic pictures show the extent of the blazes in Thaxted, Sible Hedingham and Littlebury, which broke out on one of Essex's hottest days since the end of July.

Crews attended fires in Thaxted, Sible Hedingham and Littlebury (Image: Saffron Walden Fire Station)

On Facebook, Saffron Walden Fire Station said it helped crews from Great Dunmow tackle a straw stack fire in Thaxted.

Another unit from Saffron Walden went to a large-scale incident in Sible Hedingham where they covered for units from Halstead, Haverhill and Clare.

Crews later tackled a corn field fire in Littlebury.

A Saffron Walden Fire Station spokesperson said: "Thankfully, due to the hard work of attending firefighters and farming staff, we were able to prevent fire from spreading out of control across many fields."

Saffron Walden fire crews thanked farming staff for their help at the fires (Image: Saffron Walden Fire Station)

Saffron Walden is experiencing dry weather during a mini-heatwave, which Essex County Fire and Rescue Service says can increase the risk of grass and countryside fire.

North-west Essex saw highs of 27C yesterday, according to the Met Office.

Weather is expected to cool with highs of 22C towards the end of the week.

Saffron Walden Fire Station crews were called out three times on Tuesday, September 7 (Image: Saffron Walden Fire Station)