Grass fire on relief road may have been deliberate

A fire that destroyed an area of grassland alongside a relief road may have been started deliberately, the fire service has said.

Emergency services were called to the A354 Weymouth Relief Road at Littlemoor, Dorset, shortly after 15:00 BST on Saturday, where an area 330ft by 200ft (100m by 60m) was alight.

A lane closure was put in place to allow fire engines to park on the carriageway while crews from five stations and an off-road Land Rover tackled the flames using hose reel jets.

The fire was out shortly after 16:30 and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service thanked drivers for their patience.

A spokesperson said: "There were no obvious ignition sources for this incident, suggesting it could have been started deliberately."