A LARGE fire broke out in a village near Halstead over the weekend, forcing firefighters into tackling the blaze throughout the night.

Essex County Fire & Rescue Service crews were called to Delvyns Lane in Castle Hedingham at around 8.30pm on Saturday night following reports of a haystack fire.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered that between 500 and 1000 tonnes of hay was completely engulfed in flames.

In a bid to mitigate any danger, they worked quickly to identify any surrounding risks such as nearby power cables and large crop fields, before working to reduce the spread of the fire.

Attempting to extinguish the fire, firefighters worked throughout the night, dampening the straw and turning it over.

After battling the blaze for nearly 12 hours, fire crews reported at 7.30am on Sunday that steady progress was being made, but would stay at the scene until the area was completely cooled and safe.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will take place in due course.