Fire rips through a barley field in a village near Harborough

Fire has ripped through a barley field in a village near Market Harborough.

The blaze tore through the valuable cereal crop in Welford, destroying it, on one of the hottest days of the year.

Some 16 firefighters and a water carrier raced to fight the fire in a field off Hemploe Road at 4pm on Tuesday as temperatures climbed above 30C (86F).

Crewmen stayed at the scene all night damping down.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service believe the blaze was started accidentally by a flying ember from a controlled fire nearby.