FIREFIGHTERS from across Medway spent more than five hours tackling a huge blaze after 200 tons of hay was set alight on farm land.

Crews from Medway, Gillingham, Rainham and Hoo were called out to Meresborough Road near Parkwood at rainham where flames were sweeping across a field of hay.

Jeff Rook, in charge of the operation,said: "The Rainham crew did a good job to start with and managed to get to the blaze and cut it off at midway to stop it spreading.

"We allowed it to burn itself out, because we couldn't t use water on it, and by packing it down and separating it we were able to use the fire against itself."

"No one was hurt during the blaze, but the fire brigade and police are treating it as suspicious.