FIRE crews battled to contain a woodland fire which spread through four acres of forest yesterday.

High winds fanned the flames and the operation was made difficult because the blaze was in an inaccessible area of Tilgate Forest, away from mains water supplies.

Firefighters from Crawley were first to be called to the fire off Parish Lane, Pease Pottage. They were quickly joined by other appliances from Horsham and Turners Hill.

While some of the crews fought the flames, others kept up a shuttle service along rutted forest tracks to the nearest water point more than a mile away.

It took more than two hours to bring the fire under control.

A brigade spokesman said: "The fire was a considerable distance inside the forest and being fed by strong winds.

"The recent very windy weather has made the undergrowth extremely dry."

"We urge people to be extremely careful when in the countryside".

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

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