Dramatic pictures shows barn alight as firefighters battle blaze for more than 10 hours

Crews from Peterlee, Spennymoor, Durham and Wheatley Hill have been tackling the blaze after first being called at 11.14pm on Friday, March 20.

County Durham Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that one crew remains at the scene on Saturday morning.

Dramatic pictures show the scale of the fire as teams worked tirelessly through the night to bring the blaze under control.

In the early hours of the morning, the brigade tweeted: “Crews have also been busy in Old Thornley tonight dealing with a barn fire containing 500 tonnes of hay. FireFighters from Spennymoor, Peterlee, Durham & Wheatley Hill have been tackling the blaze.

Appliances will remain on scene for several hours to come.”

The fire has been reduced to around 60 tonnes of hay and crews are continuing to dampen down.

The cause has not been confirmed.