Hot, dry weather has seen the number of grassland fires in the area rocket to 14 times that of last year.

On Monday night fire crews from all across North West Kent were called out to what is becoming a regular incident – another grass fire on Dartford Heath.

Figures obtained by the Messenger from Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) show that from July 1 this year fire crews from Dartford and Thames-side have been called out to grassland fires 44 times.

Last year’s figures for July stood at just three, and in 2011 there were 18 grass fires.

The 14-fold increase is being blamed on the unusually hot and dry weather, but of those 44 fires in just four weeks, 28 were started deliberately.

Monday’s heath fire was one of them. It spread to create a burning plain, 150sqm by 250sqm. It took four crews and an all-terrain vehicle two hours to put out the flames.

The figures also revealed that the number of other outdoor and rubbish fires in the past month stands at 92, compared to 27 last year and 49 in 2011.

Of those, 60 were also started deliberately.

The wet summers of previous years meant that even if a fire was started, it rarely grew to such vast blazes seen throughout July.

KFRS Community Safety Manager Stuart Skilton said: “Grassland fires have the potential to spread extremely quickly and can divert crews away from other incidents, such as road crashes or house fires, where lives may be in danger.”

Police are working with KFRS to determine how the fires were started.

Mr Skilton added: “While some of the incidents are due to deliberate fire-setters, many are actually started accidentally due to carelessness.”