Firefighters tackle grass fire on Mitcham Common Published duration 18 July 2013

media caption London fire brigade tackle a grass fire blaze in Mitcham, South London

Firefighters have been tackling a grass fire in an area the size of about four football pitches in south London.

Crews were called to the blaze in Mitcham Common just before 12:30 BST. The fire is now under control, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

LFB said its crews are dealing with 21 grass fires a day across London, compared to five a day last year.

Since May there have been 1,010 grass fires, almost double the total in 2012.

LFB's head of operations for prevention and response, Dave Brown, said: "A small spark from a cigarette is often all it takes to start a grass fire in these dry conditions.