A GRASS fire on the former site of Terriers First School came close to setting alight neighbouring gardens on Monday afternoon.

The fire spread rapidly in the derelict field by Totteridge Lane at around 2.30pm and began creeping towards back gardens of a row of houses facing onto Amersham Road.

Two sheds were damaged by the time fire crews managed to put out the flames.

Residents in nearby houses said that had the wind not been blowing in the opposite direction, the flames would almost certainly have taken hold of their gardens.

Sarah Middleton, 42, a teacher from Amersham Road, said: "We were pretty lucky because it would have taken all these gardens out. There were big flames and lots of smoke. It took them a little while to put it out."

Ellen Hawes, 32, from Amersham Road, said: "The flames were really quite big in some places. I took my washing in and when I came back the whole field was alight. It spread really quickly."

The fire is the second blaze on the old school site within the last five weeks.

The site has been empty since Terriers First School was closed in 1999. The land has been earmarked for housing and Buckinghamshire County Council expects to conclude a sale of the land to developers by the end of the month.

An application to build 60 or more houses will then be submitted to Wycombe District Council's planning department.

Sally Jervis, 49, a tutor from Amersham Road, said the land was an "open invitation for vandalism" while it remains unused.

She said: "Something needs to be done soon. This piece of land is a nuisance locally."

Cllr Tony Green, Wycombe district councillor for Terriers, said: "The site is one that has stood empty for too long. An application has not come forward yet but it will soon I imagine."