Firefighters from Carlisle were this evening called out to the county's latest grass fire - this time at a site of special scientific interest.

Crews from the Carlisle West fire station were sent out to the blaze - thought to have been started by children - on land on the fringe of Dalston, near to the Durdar Road, at around 7.20pm.

At its height, the fire spread over an area measuring 12 metres by 40 metres. A local farmer played a key role in quickly killing the fire, said a Fire Service spokesman. He used and earth-mover to scoop water from a nearby stream on the flames.

Firefighters used beaters and water to contain the blaze.

The spokesman for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service said: "We were able to put out the fire before it spread too far. But unfortunately, it devastated a SSSI, which is a natural habitat for various kinds of wildlife.

"There have also been grass fires in the west of the county tonight, at Workington and Egremont."

He added that anybody who deliberately starts such a fire in such dry conditions not only creates a risk of triggering a major incident such as the one near Manchester last week; they also risk the possibility they could end up in court facing a prosecution.

He thanked the farmer for the help he gave firefighters.

Earlier today, just before 4pm, firefighters from Penrith were mobilised to a grass fire near the B5305 in Bowscar. Crews used one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire and also helped manage traffic at the scene. The team got to the fire in around 10 minutes.

Nobody was available to comment on the fires in west Cumbria.