MORE than 200 motorists called 999 to report a fire near the M4 at Junction 16

Four crews from Swindon, Chippenham, Westlea and Stratton were sent to extinguish two grass fires that had spread either side of the motorway.

A call to report this incident at junction 16 was first put in at 15:59.

The blaze had spread covering 150 metres of the area.

It took the firefighters just over an hour and 30 minutes to put the fire out as they used a number of hose reels and beaters to put out the fire.

The spokesman for Wiltshire Fire Service told the Adver that every call is handled as if it is a new incident, as until the call handler gets all the relevant information from the caller they can’t be 100 per cent certain they're dealing with an already-reported incident

The spokesman added:“It’s imperative not to become complacent that the next caller is giving you the same information, they might pass you something vital.”

The incident gave an insight into how a major incident generating a high number of calls is handled.

The fire brigade's spokesman added: “When calls start flooding in it can be an intense, noisy environment as emergency calls make a loud alarm sound to draw attention to them.

“Our call handling system shows us how many calls are waiting, we try to answer them as quickly as possible but when there are a large number coming through there will inevitably be a delay.

“Calls will overflow to our neighbouring brigades in Devon and Somerset,and Hampshire, so they are able to help with the extreme workload but the only way to deal with that level of call volume is to get on with it and reassure callers that we are on our way.”

The spokesman added: “Although we were taking hundreds of calls related to the M4 fire, usual business continues and at any point we could receive a call to a road traffic collision or a property fire.”

The host dry summer through most of June and July has seen an increase in grass fires needing attention from the Wiltshire Brigade

Even after heavy rain yesterday morning the vegetation alongside the motorway is still very dry and easily lit.

Wiltshire Fire Service has issued advice on how to avoid starting a grass or wild fire.

Avoid open fires in the countryside.Put out cigarettes and other smoking materials properly before you leave your vehicle.Do not throw cigarette ends out of your vehicle.

Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodlands, as sunlight shining through the glass can cause a fire to start.