A BOAT was destroyed in a fire on the river at Wareham on Sunday night.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, the coastguard, and RNLI were called to the scene at Swineham Point yesterday evening.

Firefighters from Wareham and Poole were sent, due to uncertainty about the location of the fire from callers.

Once located, crews reported a 35-foot cabin cruiser ablaze and lifeboats did a thorough sweep of the area to ensure no-body had been on board.

Coastguard, the RNLI and Poole Harbour staff helped warn river traffic to keep away from the area, due to concerns about cylinders being involved.

A spokesperson for the service described access to the fire as "very difficult", with crews using a hose reel and two main lines to extinguish the blaze.

It was brought under control just after 11pm and firefighters remained on scene until gone 1am damping down.

The cause of the fire is not currently known and the vessel was completely destroyed.