Firefighters tackle wildfire for eighth day

Firefighters tackling a wildfire in the New Forest say they are focusing on extinguishing hot spots as the operation enters its eighth day.

The blaze in Hampshire began when a van caught fire on the A31 on 9 August. The road, which is the route between Southampton and Bournemouth, will remain closed until at least Thursday, National Highways has said.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said firefighters spent Saturday creating a "wet line" around the incident ground to help prevent the fire spreading, with a "significant presence' remaining at the scene.

It comes after an earlier update from the fire service on Saturday, saying the fire had been "fully surrounded".

The fire service says the remote heathland terrain and "limited access to water is making for complex firefighting operation".

HIWFRS is urging people to avoid the area where crews are working.

The service said: "Accessing an active fire ground puts people at risk, impacts our firefighting operations, risks damage to the critical equipment we have on site, and could therefore cause further delays to this lengthy incident."

The fire service revealed on Friday evening that the blaze has affected an area of approximately 1.6 sq km (0.6 sq miles) and 169 fire appliances have attended from 93 fire stations.

On Friday evening, the UK's mobile phone alert system was used to warn people not to light anything which could spark a wildfire, including barbecues and garden incinerators.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told members of the public to take the warning "seriously" and said it was triggered at the request of firefighters.