YOUNG people started a field fire in East Tilbury this afternoon that required the attention of seven teams of firefighters from as far afield as east London, Basildon, Wickford and Southend.

The alarm was raised when a group of young people were filmed just after 1pm by a resident starting the fire in the recently-harvested wheat field behind Gobions Park in the village.

Nub News reported live from the field after the resident told Thurrock Nub News: "Three kids tried to start fire and then walked off thinking it hadn't worked but after they left it was still smoking and the wind flared it up and it it spread about 10 minutes later."

A statement from Essex Fire and Rescue Service, which mobilised crews from across the county as the resources of Thurrock-based stations were already stretched because of incidents elsewhere, said: "When fire crews arrived they reported that around six hectares of stubble alight and there was a lot of smoke moving towards the train line.

"Firefighters worked hard to surround and extinguish the fire."

Firefighters from Wennington in East London top up their appliance.

Crews were stood down, after damping down, around 3.30pm.

If you know anything about the fire, you can report it anonymously here: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/firestoppers. A fire service spokesperson said: "Deliberate fires are dangers – they put lives at risk and also tie up our time when we might be needed for a more serious emergency somewhere else. Please help us stop these happening. Tell us what you know – it's 100% anonymous. We're not interested in who you are – just what you know.

"Call: 0800 169 5558 or complete this online form."