FIRE crews tackled a 'significant' chimney fire in Martinstown, near Dorchester on the same night that a chimney blaze caused devastation in Moreton.

At 7.50pm last night, a crew from Dorchester attened the blaze and used a chimney kit to extinguish the fire, which was under control by 9pm.

It followed a major fire involving a breached chimney in Moreton, near Crossways earlier yesterday afternoon.

Fire Investigation Officer Stuart Granger who attended the incident in Moreton issued some safety guidance to all residents with chimneys.

He said: "Over the last week, the weather has turned much colder and these incidents are unfortunately examples of what can happen if your chimney is not swept before use.

"Chimney fires become much more frequent at this time of year so in order to keep you and your family safe from fire, you need to take necessary steps.

"Please ensure your chimney is swept regularly, always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks from hot embers, make sure embers are properly put out before you go to bed and keep chimneys and flues clean and well maintained.

"Finally, I would urge all householders to ensure they have a working smoke alarm in their home, that is tested weekly One of the Community Safety Officers, who attended the Martinstown incident as an on-call firefighter, returned to the property last night to fit smoke detectors as there was no working smoke detection.

A free home fire safety check, where Dorset Fire and Rescue Service provide advice and support on how to prevent a fire from occurring in the home, has been arranged for early next week.