A FIRE in Low Habberley which saw more than one hundred bales of straw set alight is being treated by West Mercia Police as arson.

The incident occurred between 5pm and 5.20pm in a field off Habberley Lane on Monday and Worcestershire fire crews took 24 hours to eventually put out the blaze.

It was kept under control by the Kidderminster crew, who spent most of Tuesday dragging out the one-tonne bales as well as dampening the area with a hose reel to stop the fire from spreading.

Six fire engines, support vehicles and a water carrier from Leominster attended the incident.

No one was harmed during inferno but about 150 bales were destroyed, worth between £2,000 and £4,000.

In the hours leading up to the incident, witnesses have reported seeing a group of teenagers in the field and police are keen to speak with them to assist with their enquiries.

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101, quoting incident number 527 of the 6th October, or Crimestopper anonymously on 0800 555111.