ARSONISTS are thought to have caused a major fire which saw eight feet tall grass go up in smoke at a Kidderminster nature reserve.

Thick gorse was set alight on Tuesday night at the Vicarage Farm Heath nature reserve in the Birchen Coppice area of Kidderminster, firefighters believe.

Crews, including two off-road vehicles, were called to the 50 by 30 metre area at 9.15pm and spent two hours tackling the blaze, at the back of Brintons Carpets, in Stourport Road.

The fire was contained using beaters and firefighters spent about two hours getting it under control.

Leading firefighter Dave Pearsall, of Kidderminster fire station, said: "It was started deliberately. There was no other way it could have started."