IT was a May Day they will want to forget for the owners of a thatched cottage in Langrish, who were alerted to the fact their home was on fire as they sat down to dinner.

The £1m cottage in the village three miles west of Petersfield was gutted in the blaze which left one firefighter needing treatment from paramedics after debris was blown into his eyes.

Fifty firefighters were called to deal with the blaze as it raged through the cottage on East Meon Road shortly after 8pm on Sunday.

Chimney embers have been cited as a possible cause of the fire.

The owners of the property, David and Cheryl Walder, who are both in their 60s, were taken to hospital but released.

On Monday, three fire engines were still at the scene and the road remained closed to the public.