London Fire Brigade is sick of careless members of the public putting innocent lives at risk and it wants people to start paying attention.

Woolwich Common was set alight on Monday of this week, causing mayhem to residents and commuters.

The fire brigade has now said it has had enough of "careless and reckless" members of the public putting innocent lives at risk.

At its peak, the fire on Woolwich Common called for 125 firefighter to try and tackle the blaze which was the size of "four football pitches".

This comes amid a huge increase in grass fires, which is being put down to the grass being extremely dry, meaning fire spreads quickly.

Firefighters say many grass fires are avoidable with the most common causes being carelessly discarded cigarettes and matches, unattended barbecues and glass bottles that have been left on dry grass.

The brigade is also concerned some grass fires are being started deliberately and are asking parents to talk to their children about the dangers of starting fires.

The brigade’s deputy commissioner and director of operations Tom George said: “We’re fed up of politely asking people to take care.

"We’re now asking people to stop putting lives at risk by carelessly chucking cigarettes or matches down on dry grass.

“If you drop a cigarette down on dry grass or leave your barbecue unattended you could single-handedly be responsible for starting a massive fire and that is not something you want on your conscience.

“We’re attending several grass fires every day in London and for the most part, it is only thanks to the quick response from firefighters that they are not spreading out of control.”

The brigade’s tips on preventing grass fires are as follows:

Dispose of smoking materials such as cigarettes and matches safely

Never leave camp fires or barbecues unattended and extinguish them properly after you have finished using them

Clear away bottles, glasses and any broken glass to avoid them magnifying the sun and starting a fire

Explain to children the dangers of playing with and lighting fires

The brigade is also asking members of the public to keep emergency access points to parks and open land clear in case crews need access to deal with fires.