AROUND two hectares of crops were destroyed by a fire in Dorchester .

Retained firefighters from Dorchester and Maiden Newton were called to a field behind the cemetery off Poundbury Road shortly before 6pm on Tuesday and spent around half an hour tackling the blaze.

After extinguishing the fire the crews remained on scene to dampen down the field.

A spokesman for the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was believed to have been caused by a spark from the motor of a combine harvester and destroyed approximately two hectares of standing crops.

Witness David Taylor, who lives near to the site of the blaze, praised the response of the fire crews, saying firefighters were on the scene within five minutes.