A total of six fire crews have been tackling a blaze for nearly 21 hours.

Firerfighters were called to a field fire in Paynes Lane, Nazeing, shortly after 5pm yesterday but on arrival discovered an 800sqm barn, used to store farm machinery, was at the centre of the blaze.

Due to a poor water supply in the area crews used water from a nearby lake to fight the flames and are now overseeing a controlled burn.

Several gas cylinders have been taken out of the blaze and have been cooled.

Andy Franklin who has worked at the neighbouring Valley Grown Nurseries for 12 years, described the storage barn as “derelict” and said he never saw anyone using it.