Fire crews from across the county were called out to deal with a blaze in Rudloe earlier this afternoon after 300sqm of elephant grass was deliberately set alight.

A fire appliance from Corsham, two from Chippenham, a water carrier from Pewsey and an incident control vehicle from Devizes were involved in the operation and used five hose reel jets and beaters to put out the flames, which started at about 12.50pm in a field opposite the Rudloe Estate.

Firefighters managed to get the blaze under control an hour later and police have launched an investigation into how the fire started.

Corsham watch manager Mark Unwin said: "The elephant grass was about eight feet high and took over an hour to get under control.

"It looks like the fire was started deliberately."

Anyone with information about how the fire started should call 0845 408 7000.