PEOPLE are being urged not to start any open fires on the 'tinder dry' North York Moors after a major moorland blaze near Levisham.

Firefighters from Helmsley tweeted that they tackled the fire alongside colleagues from Lythe, Malton, Robin Hood's Bay and Kirkbymoorside, and thanked Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue for its assistance.

Lythe fire crews replied: "We've got some blisters we won't soon forget. . . And a massive thank you to @MountainResqUK from us also."

The mountain rescue team said a member of its team who was running on Levisham Moor came across a moorland fire some 2km from any roads.

"After calling North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and meeting the fire officer, he offered assistance from the team with 4-wheel drive vehicles. This was accepted with our two Land Rovers being deployed to help ferry firefighters from the scene. A third of our vehicles was deployed later to bring bottled drinking water out to the scene for the firefighters.

"We had six team members and three vehicles directly involved for four and a half hours with a further seven on standby.

"The moors and forests are tinder dry at the moment, please take care not to start any open fires and report any incidents immediately to the emergency services."