A 600m-long wildfire ripped through a field for more than five hours.

Fire crews were called to the blaze on grassland in South Ayrshire at around 1.20pm on Tuesday.

They worked for more than five hours to tackle the large wildfire, which was burning on rough terrain between the South Ayrshire town of Barrhill and Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway.

Flames around 3ft high swept across more than 600m of grassland as fire crews battled to protect a nearby forest from the moving threat.

Around 15 firefighters used handheld beaters and a high pressure jet to extinguish the flames.

First responders reached the scene shortly before 1,20pm and the fire was brought under control by 6.30pm.

The incident is not thought to have been deliberately started but SFRS said it it needs the public's help to reduce the number of wildfires.

A statement said: "Dry conditions at this time of year can easily result in wildfires that damage the environment, devastate wildlife habitat and threaten homes and businesses.

"The public can help prevent wildfires by making sure they dispose of litter and smoking materials carefully while in rural areas.

"There are a number of things land managers can do to help prevent wildfires, including strict adherence to the Muirburn Code, which applies to the controlled burning of heather within the permitted season.

"Anyone who sees someone acting suspiciously, recklessly or irresponsibly in the countryside should contact Police Scotland on 101."