Late-night barbequers burnt more than their burgers when a conifer tree in their back garden went up in flames.

Firefighters were called to the fire at a house in The Avenue, Tadworth, at 1.15am this morning, Sunday, October 2.

The diners had tried to put out the blaze themselves, but called the emergency services for extra help.

The fire crew from Epsom fire station took about 30 minutes to extinguish the tree with a hose reel, and damp it down to prevent any hot spots reigniting.

They estimated the tree, described as mature, suffered 20 per cent damage.

A fire service spokesman said: “The barbeque was not disposed of correctly. The owners had made efforts to extinguish the fire. They did very well to control it.”