Fire swept across 15 acres of farmland in Holyport on Tuesday afternoon as tinder dry stubble caught alight at Stroud Farm.

Firefighters were alerted at 1pm.

Crews from Windsor, Langley, Maidenhead and two from Slough were joined by Wokingham, Whitley Wood, Wokingham Road and Crowthorne – as well as a water carrier from Pangbourne and a high volume pump from Bracknell.

Crews from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire also attended.

Schoolchildren in nearby Holyport C of E Primary School in Stroud Fram Road were sent home early and surrounding roads closed causing traffic chaos.

The affected fields were part of Stroud Farm, which has been farmed by the Rinder family for three generations.

Paul Rinder, 49, who farms the site with his brother, said: “Fortunately our crop had been cut or we would have lost it.

“There was just stubble which was tinder dry and once fire started it was spread by the wind.

“We kept out of the way of the firefighters – safety had to be our priority.”

The farm grows hay and sileage to be used as livestock feed.

By 4pm the fire was under control.

Mr Rinder said he would probably have to reseed the area but the cost would be met by insurance.

He said the last incident of that kind had happened during the famous heatwave of 1976.