A farmer has spoken of his fears after arsonists destroyed straw worth £35,000 on his land.

Fire-raisers lit three huge stacks of straw, together about 800 tonnes, at Weston Down Lane, just before midnight on Saturday.

The heat was so intense that it knocked out power cables to nearby houses and affected signalling on the railway line from Winchester to London, said firefighters.

Now Dennis Stevens, tenant of Weston Farm, near Micheldever, north of Winchester, is worried the attackers may return.

"The straw was well away from any main road. I would have thought it was pretty safe from arsonists up there, and I'm amazed they spotted it," he said.

"It does worry me though, because whatever way they came to it, they would have passed another barn of straw which is ours as well. It does concern me that they'll come back."

He said he was shocked by the attack, but added that the straw had already been sold and was waiting to be delivered to Devon dairy farms.

Firefighters said about 2,500 straw bales were burning when they arrived. Some crews even reported seeing the flames from the other side of Winchester as they drove to the scene.

Firefighters supervised as the straw was left to burn itself out - which took days, according to sub-officer Dave Graham.

Mark Papworth, who lives in a cottage near the straw bales, described the fire as "an inferno" and said: "I don't think I have ever seen flames so high."

Ashes from one straw pile fell over the road, he said and destroyed a hedge. And electricity to his home had to be supplied by a generator for several days while damaged cables were repaired.

The clear-up operation will take days, said Mr Stevens, who spent Sunday shifting ash from Weston Down Lane.

"The straw is absolutely useless now," he said. "It was in a stubble field, so we can plough the ash in-we're rather fortunate in that respect. Then we'll have to clean up the mess and replace the hedge."

Police are investigating and are appealing for witnesses.