Firefighters from across the district were called to tackle a large barn fire yesterday evening.

A total of six fire engines and a water bowser were called to Thurstons Farm near Toppesfield just after 5pm after the barn, which was full of hay and cylinders, caught fire.

Due to the remote location of the incident, the water bowser, which is a specialist fire vehicle with a large tank of water, was requested so the firefighters could have a good supply of water.

At 7pm, the fire crews reported the fire was under control and only 30 per cent of the building was still alight.

An hour later, the incident was scaled down to four fire engines and crews were said to be making “steady progress”.

Earlier this morning, an Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed most of the fire had been extinguished.

They added: "Due to the large amount of hay involved in the fire, crews monitored the fire carefully and protected the surrounding risks so the fire would not spread.

"The fire continued to burn out under the watch of one crew who stayed on site overnight.

"It is expected that one fire crew will be needed to monitor the fire for the rest of the day so it can be monitored while it burns itself out."

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the fire.