Farmers played 'vital role' in stopping crop fire

A fire service has said the swift actions of farmers after a crop fire broke out in Shropshire played a vital role in preventing the spread of the blaze.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Soudley, near Market Drayton, at 17:06 BST on Saturday, to reports of a standing crop fire.

The service said about 30sq m (322 sq ft) of crops were on fire, and farmers had used agricultural machinery to create a fire break around the flames.

A water bowser from the nearby farm was used to soak the area to make sure there were no remaining hotspots, it added.

Nobody was injured, the service said, and the fire was believed to have started accidentally while the field was being harvested.

"A big thank you to the farmers for their quick thinking and assistance, which helped bring the incident to a safe conclusion," it said.

The blaze was one of seven fires in the open that Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service attended on Saturday.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.