UK heatwave: Fire service declares 'major incident' in Leicestershire

A grass fire near Bradgate Park saw eight fire appliances respond

The fire service in Leicestershire has declared a "major incident" due to high demand in the county.

As record temperatures are recorded in the region, the service said crews would no longer respond to automatic fire alarms.

A large grass fire at Newtown Linford near Bradgate Park is being tackled by eight engines, while other crews are at a farm fire in Walton on the Wolds.

Fire chiefs have asked the public to only call them if it is an emergency.

Chief officer Callum Faint said many of the fires were large and required a lot of resources

Chief officer Callum Faint said: "We have experienced large numbers of calls with quite a lot of fires in the open.

"This means a lot of trees, a lot of woodland, a lot of grass, those types of fires and some of them are fairly large and using a lot of fire engines.

"So at the moment we have chosen to declare a major incident, which basically highlights to partner organisations that our capacity is stretched."

A spokesman said they received a call at 12:58 BST to the grass fire at Newtown Linford and along with the appliances, a water carrier, a fogger and a welfare unit have also been sent.

No residents have been evacuated, but due to smoke in the area, anyone living nearby is being urged to keep their doors and windows shut.

The fire at Walton on the Wolds involves a large barn and again nearby residents have been asked to keep windows shut.