More than 20 firefighters were called out to tackle a blaze which destroyed 15 tonnes of hay and straw in a barn and gutted a disused farmhouse in Shrewsbury in the early hours of today.

Fire crews from the town were called out to the blaze in Sutton Farm just after midnight after receiving reports of a fire on the land, at the end of a dirt track near Oteley Road.

Crew manager Steve Morris, who was on the scene during the height of the blaze, said despite getting the fire under control within an hour, crews would stay on site today to continue to damp down.

“The fire involved a barn building containing hay and straw and a smaller farmhouse building, which was in a derelict condition. It’s burnt the roof off the farmhouse building altogether and 10 to 15 tonnes of hay and straw from the barn,” he said.

Two fire engines were sent to the scene to begin with, but it soon became clear that more personnel would be needed to control the fire. Mr Morris said: “We dealt with it using water from a hydrant about a mile away using a specialist pumping unit.

“The bulk of the hay and straw had burned itself down this morning, and the barn itself is still standing. But we’ve still got crews there damping down and they will probably be there all day.”

Mr Morris said an investigation would be carried out into the cause of the blaze, but that fire investigation officers had not yet been able to get into the building.