A LARGE fire broke out near entrepeneur house-builder Neil Grinnall's £1.5m Hadzor Hall in Droitwich.

Firefighters spent this morning tackling the blaze which attracted 20 calls from members of the public who could see the flames from the M5.

Two barns containing straw caught fire and fire crews from Droitwich, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster and Stourport were sent to the scene after the alarm was raised at 11.17pm last night.

Firefighters were still working to damp down the flames as the Worcester News went to press this morning.

A spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire Service said nobody was injured in the fire. "There will be an investigation into the cause of the fire once it is finally put out," he said.

"The two barns were surrounded by derelict buildings and close to a new housing development."

Firefighters were initially called to Hadzor Hall, a magnificent Georgian building, which is currently on the market. But this morning Neil Grinnall Homes said the fire was on adjoining farmland next to the estate.