FIREFIGHTERS battled a blazing barn on a New Milton farm for more than 12 hours to make sure it did not get out of hand.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service was called into action just after midnight on Saturday following reports of a fire in the storage building at Walkford Farm, Walkford Lane.

About 400 tonnes of hay were alight, and four appliances from New Milton and Lymington were called out to tackle the flames, together with a special equipment unit from Southampton and a water carrier from Lyndhurst.

Some 28 firefighters battled the blaze through the early hours of the morning, but were ultimately forced to let the hay burn itself out.

Three appliances remained on the scene into the following afternoon to make sure the fading fire did not spread to nearby properties. The cause of the blaze is still being investigated.