AN area of heathland the size of a football pitch has been scorched by fire.

Thirty firefighters rushed to Alver Valley Country Park after reports of a blaze yesterday.

Firefighters discovered two separate seats of fire on the patch of land at Browndown and were forced to fight the flames from multiple locations.

The fire broke out shortly after 5.30pm and crews from Gosport, Fareham, Cosham, Portchester, Havant and Eastleigh were called to the scene.

They used hoses and beaters to extinguish the flames.

The fires were out by just after 7pm but crews remained on the scene to damp down and ensure there were no further ignitions.

No-one was injured and the cause of the fires is not yet known.