SPECIALIST firefighters from Redbridge were forced to cut a hole in the side of a bin lorry to remove the contents and ensure a fire was out.

Crews from Verwood and Cranborne in Dorset were initially called to Sixpenny Handley in the north of the county at 10.13am yesterday to reports of a fire in a refuse lorry.

They checked the vehicle was safe before escorting it to a recycling centre in Blandford.

A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said: "Once at the centre, a crew from Blandford established that the vehicle hydraulics had failed and it would not be possible to empty the contents in the usual fashion.

"Specialist cutting equipment was requested, and this came from a crew from Redbridge, Southampton, who were providing assistance in the Bournemouth,Christchurch and Poole area.A hole was cut in the side of the vehicle, enabling an on-site digger to remove the contents and two hose reel jets were used to cool and damp down."

The contents were declared safe by 3.30pm.