Children were today blamed for a blaze which brought trains to a standstill on the main line from London to Clacton.

Three fire crews from Clacton and Weeley tackled the fire on a railway embankment near the Burrs Road crossing at Great Clacton.

The blaze burnt through 80 metres of signalling cable and staff had to work through the night to restore normal services in time for rush hour today.

A spokeswoman for Railtrack said two trains, the 6.02 and 6.32 from Liverpool Street last night, had to terminate at Thorpe and others were only able to get through at a reduced speed of 20mph.

Workmen managed to replace the damaged cable during the night and trains were back running at normal speed by 4.30am today.

It is the fourth serious recent incident of blazes triggered by young firestarters. Firemen issued a warning after youngsters set light to fields in Clacton and ran through them endangering their own lives.

On Sunday, firefighters were called to Carpenter's Farm in Great Bentley after children set light to fields. And last night, firemen were called to Great Bromley after youngsters ignited straw, causing a fire which threatened the village hall.

In the latest incident, signallers at Clacton reported the fire in a farmer's field just after 7pm and the line was closed.

Leading fireman Sid Warwick from Clacton said he had to stop the trains because the blaze was on the bank.

Crews from Clacton and Weeley spent an hour putting out the blaze and one of the Clacton crews stayed for more than two hours to ensure that it was completely damped down.

"The cause of the fire is being treated as doubtful at this stage and could have been down to children playing."

A large section of fencing also had to be replaced.

Mr Warwick said the crews managed to get the blaze under control quickly and surrounded it to make sure that it did not spread towards surrounding homes.

"It was fairly close to a number of bungalows in Burrs Road but fortunately they were the other side of the road from the fire," he added.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said two youths had been interviewed about the incident and inquiries were continuing.

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