FARM staff had to move 26,000 chickens to safety when a fire broke out in a barn yesterday.

Firefighters placed a 200m cordon around the single-storey building at Ricksfield Farm, in Station Road, Milcombe, near Banbury, after discovering it contained five gas cylinders.

The chickens were moved from an adjacent barn.

Fire crews from Banbury, Hook Norton, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Wheatley, Kidlington, Eynsham and Deddington were called out at about 11.30am.

There was a small amount of smoke but no sign of any flames.