Twenty acres of East Sussex downland were damaged by fire last night as warm winds fanned flames in dry undergrowth.

Fire ripped through two areas of grassland north of Hastings leading to almost a hundred calls from alarmed residents reporting smoke and flames in the evening sky.

The first was reported in grass and shrubs at North Seat, Ore, at 5.45pm, followed by another soon after at East Hill, north of Hastings.

Twenty East Sussex firefighters spent more than five hours at the scene of the fires, which were brought under control by hundreds of gallons of water pumped from hydrants.

Two appliances remained at each site throughout the evening.

At least eight acres were damaged at North Seat and a further 12 acres at East Hill.

Firefighters made regular checks on the charred areas during the early hours to ensure flames did not flare up again.