FIREFIGHTERS who battled a blaze involving 300 tonnes of baled hay left the scene more than 24 hours later.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) was alerted to the report of hay alight at a farm off Moor Lane, near Newton Aycliffe, by a member of the public at 7.45pm on Monday.

Two crews from the town attended the scene, next to a telegraph pole and woodland, and used three jets to tackle the flames.

By 2.48am on Tuesday the fire was down to 75 tonnes of hay alight and at 7.45am it was down to 40 tonnes alight.

At 11.30am firefighters could be seen near to the smouldering remains of the fire when smoke could still be seen rising from the farm.

A CDDFRS spokesperson said one appliance was still at the scene at 4.30pm when 20 tonnes of hay was alight.

At that time they were using hay forks and ventilation to extinguish the fire.

The spokesperson said the fire was extinguished by 9pm when crews left the scene.

A joint investigation was launched with Durham Police.

Firefighters tweeted about the incident on Twitter and posted a picture showing the fire at its height.

Writing on Facebook, a member of public thanked crews for their quick response.

Rachel Tarn-Falconer said: "Can't thank the fire brigade enough for being here within minutes. Thankful times knowing everyone was safe."