A MASSIVE blaze has torn through a farmhouse, leaving a family homeless on New Year's Eve.

Brad Jones

A MASSIVE blaze has torn through a farmhouse, leaving a family homeless on New Year's Eve.

Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze in a two-storey property at Leaden Roding, between Chelmsford and Bishop's Stortford, shortly after 7.30pm this evening.

The roof space of the house was well alight and the officer in charge requested the attendance of an aerial ladder platform.

At 9.15pm the roof was still alight and police had to attend to control traffic in the area.

Meanwhile, the local authority was contacted to see if arrangements could be made for the family - four adults and four children - to be found emergency accommodation.

A joint police and fire service investigation will be carried out into the cause of the fire. This will not take place until daylight as the structure of the building is now unsafe.