PEOPLE were seen running away from a suspicious fire at Studland on Saturday.

Fire crews and police were called to the heath fire on National Trust land at the Purbeck beauty spot on Saturday evening.

Crews from Swanage and Poole were sent to the scene and found an area 75mx35m alight.

It involved gorse, undergrowth and trees alight.

They extinguished it using hoses and beaters.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police described the fire as a possible arson incident. Items were seized at the scene for fingerprints and examination, they added.

It comes after repeated warnings from the fire service and other organisations about the dangers of open fires during the hot weather.

The use of disposable barbecues have been banned at Moors Valley Country Park near Verwood in East Dorset.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue are urging people to take stringent precautions to prevent heath fires and major incidents.