A PIG pen set on fire yesterday after a fitbit - which had been eaten and excreted by a pig - reacted with the pig pens contents and set on fire, the fire service has said.

In a tweet, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said: "Tadcaster and Knaresborough firecrews attended a fire to four pig pens near Bramham, West Yorkshire.

" No pigs were harmed and the cause of fire was attributed to a battery powered pedometer carried by one of the pigs, to prove it was free-range, which was eaten by the other.

"After nature had taken its course, it's believed that the copper from the batteries reacted with the pig pens contents and in conjunction with dry bedding, ignited burning approx.

"A hosereel was used to extinguish the fire and save the bacon."