PHOTOS: Nature reserve damaged by fire

Firefighters are urging people who smoke to dispose of their cigarettes properly following two fires at a Billericay Nature Reserve over the past few days.

Crews were called to Mill Meadows on Friday at 11.30am and on Sunday evening at around 7pm following reports of small fires there. On Sunday a bench was on fire and has been damaged.

On Friday a quick thinking local resident used a bucket of water and a dog walker used their dogs drinking water on Sunday to stop the fires from spreading. The fires could have been caused either accidentally or deliberately.

However firefighters want to encourage people not to discard any smoking materials in the area. 

Watch Manager Mark Blakebrough said: “The landscape is still extremely dry and if a fire was to develop it would be hard to contain due to the difficult access. It could endanger both the wildlife within the reserve and the properties backing onto it.”