Firefighters continue tackling woodland fire near Newcastle airport

A wildfire has continued overnight with firefighters having to scale back their response because it posed "dangers to crews".

It began on Wednesday in woodland at Prestwick Carr nature reserve, near Newcastle International Airport.

Around 50 firefighters have been at the scene, which covers an area of about 10 acres, or five football pitches.

The airport is operating as normal with no flights affected.

Due to the location, teams have been walking miles in "searing temperatures" to tackle the blaze, the service said.

Residents in the area have been told to keep windows and doors shut.

Smoke was being carried as far south as Gateshead early on Thursday morning.

'Acrid bonfire smell'

"We are trying to get on top of this fire. It is smouldering but deep-seated," said Steve Burdis, from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

"We don't expect the wind to pick up too much. I would like to think we could get this under control... today but I can't rule out [the possibility that] it will go on for longer."

Conditions have been described as "extremely difficult"

The Prestwick Carr nature reserve is an important wildlife habitat.

Mr Burdis told BBC Radio Newcastle: "This is a peat area and [peat] could heat up with the extreme heat that we have had. Discarded glass... something of that nature might magnify the heat and that could cause a fire."

BBC reporter Sam Thomson, who was close to the scene, described a "horrible acrid bonfire smell" and saw a high-pressure hose running for about a mile from the village's water main.

Fire crews faced difficulties accessing the site with vehicles

Paul Foreman, who has lived in the area for about 10 years, said it was the third such fire that had broken out there.

"You could see it was quite a decent-sized fire," he said.

"There were a lot of fire engines coming back and forward constantly. Three would go down and offload all of the water, then they would go back and three would go back down again - there was just constant traffic".

Emergency services will remain in the area to find out how the fire started. A joint investigation is taking place involving the fire service and Northumbria Police.