A man passionate about the environment who helped prevent a fire from spreading in a wooded area in Thetford has revealed his devastation after it caught ablaze.

Thomas Seymour, 28, who lives in the town, said he was litter picking on Monday (August 8) in a patch of woodland between the Abbey Estate and the A11 when he came across the flames.

Having originally assumed it was just people "messing about", Mr Seymour quickly realised no one was there.

He said: "I couldn't believe it. I called the fire brigade straight away and was so thankful they arrived quickly.

"It wasn't far from a petrol station so it was lucky it was caught because if it had continued to spread, it could have caused an explosion."

Mr Seynour, who works at Wiser Recycling, said he was pleased to have stopped the fire from getting worse but added he was upset that the area is left to him to sort.

"It fills me with pride that I managed to stop the fire from spreading. It's just such a shame that I have to be out there cleaning the area," he added.

"I love wildlife - I can't stand by and watch people ruin it.

"I try and save the environment in my job and then I do it when I finish too."

Mr Seymour revealed between him and friend David Smith, they have collected about 160 bags of rubbish in the past month.

However, Mr Seymour wishes it was more of a community effort and wants to encourage others to follow his lead.

He said: "I've tried to drum up interest but no one has wanted to help.

"I'm passionate about the area and it would be lovely to get everyone together and sort it out.

"It could be a lovely neighbourhood area but people are too scared to go in there"

But Mr Seymour said he would not be able to achieve his mission without help from a local garden centre.

"Thetford Garden Centre have been amazing and lent us some equipment," he said.

"Without them we wouldn't be able to do what we do so we couldn't be more grateful."