A fire that engulfed 200 bales of straw on a farm between Petersfield and Rowlands Castle could have been even more serious if it wasn’t for a quick-thinking farmer.

There was a farmland inferno close to Finchdean on Sunday as a stack of bales at Heberdens Farm caught fire.

While the cause has not been confirmed at the time of writing there has been local speculation that the fire was started deliberately by youths.

Firefighters from Havant and Fareham fought the blaze with two fire engines, a water carrier and an off-road vehicle being deployed to the site in Idsworth, not far away from the historic St Huberts church.

They used hose reel jets and knapsack pumps to surround and tackle the flames while the farmer created a firebreak with a tractor to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

Ventilation fans were also used to clear smoke from the scene with the fire clearly visible from the nearby Havant to Petersfield railway line.

Although the stop message came in at 7.42pm the pile is expected to smoulder for several days.

Crews carried out a reinspection late on Sunday while the affected farmer is continuing to monitor the scene to prevent escalation.