FIREFIGHTERS have urged people to "think very carefully" about lighting Chinese lanterns, after one sparked a blaze at a Purbeck nature reserve.

Around 40 metres of gorse was destroyed at Hartland Moor nature reserve, near Wareham, on Sunday evening.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service crews from Wareham and Swanage extinguished the fire using hose reel jets and beaters.

Fire service area manager Craig Baker said: "With Chinese lanterns, you're basically throwing a naked flame into the sky with no control over the direction it will take or where it will land - in addition, there is no guarantee that the fuel source will be fully extinguished and cooled when the lantern eventually descends, and that presents a real fire hazard.

"Chinese lanterns are very attractive when they're in the sky, and we fully understand why they are so popular.

"We would just urge people to think very carefully about where they will be released."

Firefighters say areas with standing crops, buildings with thatched roofs, dense woodland, heaths and bracken, should not be considered suitable for flying lanterns.

Consideration should also be given to the proximity to major roads or airfields.

Visit dwfire.org.uk/chinese-lanterns for safety advice.