Firefighters remove 8km hose after forest wildfire

Firefighters have begun removing a 8km (5 mile) long hose used to tackle a large wildfire.

A major incident was declared in the New Forest, Hampshire, after a van fire on the A31 near Ringwood on 9 August went on to destroy about 1.6 sq km (0.6 sq miles) of heathland.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said residents have had restricted access to and from their homes while crews used a High Volume Pump (HVP) to collect more than 85-million litres of water from Hightown Lake to tackle the blaze.

It said locals will regain access to their properties once the HVP is removed by about 18:00 BST.

The A31 remains closed while Highways England carries out repairs, including replacing about 1km (0.6 miles) of boundary fencing and hundreds of metres of barrier.

It is expected to reopen on Thursday.

Shaun Lincoln, HVP lead for the service, expressed his gratitude to local residents for their support during the fire and said there are "very few" hot spots remaining, which is why firefighters are now able to collect up equipment from the scene.

Forestry England has said the National Park will take "many years to recover" from the blaze.

Lincoln said most counties across the UK have a HVP and they act as a "water main" for crews when dealing with incidents like wildfires.

He said they are noticing that they are using them more frequently and have "been a blessing in disguise" when called upon.