Doddinghurst: Fires that destroyed cars and barn were 'deliberate'

Six cars were destroyed at the farm in Essex

Two fires that destroyed six cars and a barn at a farm in Essex were started deliberately, firefighters have said.

One crew was called to Warren Lane in Doddinghurst, near Brentwood, at 18:03 BST on Monday and extinguished the car fires within an hour.

Six crews were called back to the scene after reports at 22:20 that a nearby outbuilding was alight.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it worked throughout the night extinguishing the blaze.

The outbuilding, which measured about 66ft (20m) by 33ft (10m) and contained straw, was severely fire and smoke damaged.

Firefighters said they remained at the scene to monitor the blaze and damp down any hotspots.

The last crew left at 10:54 on Tuesday.

Firefighters were called back to the farm to attend to the outbuilding

An investigation into the cause of the fires is taking place