A large fire that broke out on protected moorland has sent smoke shooting hundreds of feet into the sky today (Mon).

The huge blaze, which currently covers an area spanning 1640ft (500m), began on Marsden Moor, near Butterley Reservoir, West Yorkshire, this afternoon.

Fire crews from five different districts were called to the scene at around 1.30 pm and are currently battling to keep the blaze under control.

A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Firefighters are currently in attendance at a wildfire on Marsden Moor. "

"Crews were called at around 1.30pm today to the fire at Butterley Reservoir, Wessenden Road in Marsden. "

"At the moment the fire measures around 500m x 500m and crews are in attendance from Ossett, Keighley, Todmorden, Halifax and Skelmanthorpe."

"A drone is enroute and the Argocat is in attendance with wildfire support."

Fires previously devasted the more, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, in April 2019 - damaging 700 hectares of grassland, which cost £500,000 to repair.

This was followed by another blaze in April 2021, where fires led to £200,000 worth of damage