Three fires linked to cigarettes tackled in a day

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said three fires were started by discarded cigarettes

A fire service has issued a warning after attending three fires linked to the "careless discarding of cigarettes" in a day.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said all three outdoor fires were tackled on Tuesday.

The service said the "potential for fires to spread and become largescale is higher than usual".

It urged people to ensure cigarettes were fully extinguished before disposing of them.

In the first incident, an outdoor bin blaze was extinguished.

Crews from Moulton then had to put out a fire involving a number of tree cuttings in Wysall Road, Northampton.

Later on Tuesday, a 10-metre square patch of grass was tackled in Westcott Way, Corby.

The fire service said the Fire Severity Index (FSI) was very high across most of Northamptonshire across the weekend.

According the Met Office, the FSI is an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start.

The fire service said it would "urge everyone to make sure their cigarette is fully extinguished, and to make sure it is discarded properly and not carelessly".