The fire service has issued a warning to members of the public about discarding cigarettes following a blaze in St Ives yesterday (Monday).

A crew from Huntingdon were called to a hedge fire at around 1.30pm in Ramsey Road, St Ives.

Firefighters extinguished the fire before returning to their station by 2.10pm.

The cause of the fire was accidental.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "This fire was caused by a discarded cigarette, which could had been easily avoided.

"With the dry winter we've had and the weather warming up, it's really important that people dispose of their smoking materials correctly. If they're thrown from a car window they can quickly ignite dry grass verges.

"Tobacco is designed to stay alight and as a result, cigarettes can easily start an accidental fire so make sure you put them out properly."