Firefighters have urged members of the public to avoid the Coast to Coast route as they tackle a fire in County Durham 

County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue (CDDFRS) have had a number of appliances at the scene near East Stanley.

The fire is believed to have been ignited due to the extreme hot temperatures.

A spokesperson for the CDDFRS said: "We were alerted at 2.30pm to reports of a fire between Stanley and Beamish.

"The fire involves about 3,000 square metres of grass, gorse and trees. We have sent five appliances to the scene. They are still dealing with the fire."

More follows 

The Northern Echo: Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS

 

The Northern Echo: Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS

 

The Northern Echo: Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS Firefighters tackle a woodland fire near Stanley, Picture: NORTH NEWS

 

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054