Ringwood Forest fire sends smoke and ash over towns

The fire involved about 10 acres of trees, the fire service said

A forest fire which broke out on Monday has sent a haze of smoke and falling ash over neighbouring towns.

The blaze at Ringwood Forest on the Hampshire-Dorset border was reported at about 17:30 BST.

At its peak 110 firefighters tackled the fire, which is ongoing, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

It has advised people in Bournemouth, eight miles (13km) away, to keep windows and doors shut after receiving numerous reports of smoke in the area.

More than 100 firefighters were on the scene at the height of the blaze

Rachael Bradley from nearby Verwood said ash had covered cars in her road.

She said: "I looked out this morning and it looked like snow falling from the sky."

Ms Bradley said the fire sent "big black plumes of smoke" into the sky on Monday evening before apparently subsiding and then reigniting this morning.

The fire service said the blaze involved 10 acres (40,000 sq metres) of forest.

Group manager Paul Reddish said firefighters faced "very hard terrain" and difficult conditions because of the heat.

He said the fire had been contained but would take several days to fully extinguish.

Mr Reddish said a cause had not yet been established.