MALDON firefighters tackled a large blaze after a pile of straw caught fire.

Crews rushed to the scene in Maypole Road on Saturday evening after a straw stack caught alight.

The initial attendance required two pumps, after which the stack needed permanent observation throughout the night.

Firefighters remained overseeing the controlled burn of the bales.

This was then followed by regular revisits during the course of the following day with some appliances needing to be diverted from elsewhere in the county.

The incident was later handed over to the land owner after the stack had burned to a safe level presenting no immediate risk to the surrounding area.