HALF the fire crews tackling the Swinley Forest blaze were stood down overnight.

Yesterday, 350 firefighters from more than 40 crews were still damping down pockets of flame but by this morning 20 crews - and 150 firefighters - were still in the forest.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Nicole Targett said: "We've made fantastic progress since yesterday, when we had to deal with several flare ups because of the hot weather.

"We are happy that we have managed to shrink the area, but because the fires are continuing to smoulder underground, we are likely to be here for at least another week to 10 days." Neighbours from 13 homes in Brookers Row, Crowthorne, are expected to return to their houses later today after being evacuated when the fires broke out on Monday.

Ms Targett added: "We are hopeful that they will be able to return, but we must obviously ensure that it is absolutely safe to do so. " Neil Rontree had to leave his home along with his three-year-old son Oliver and daughter Amelia, who is 19 months old. He said: "We've been staying with my sister-in-law in Crowthorne.

"It's been quite a stressful week and Oliver was quite unsettled, so I took him with me on Thursday when we were able to go back and pick up some belongings. He fed the family fish, which helped, but it will certainly be a nice end to today if we receive the news that we can go home." Many businesses in the area, such as The Look Out and Go Ape, are still closed but may re-open on Monday. The Golden Retriever Pub, situated on Nine Mile Ride, re-opened yesterday.

The road closures are expected to remain in place, but fire teams are hopeful they will re-open after the weekend. Ms Targett said: "We plan to have most of the roads open by Monday and it is a priority, but this has been an enormous task. No fire service in the country could have dealt with this alone." Berkshire crews have been joined by firefighters from London, Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Buckinghamsire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, who have either been stationed in Swinley Forest or placed on stand-by to deal with other fire incidents across the area.

Ms Targett warned: "We are fighting an unseen enemy here and our progress depends on mother nature. If the weather heats up this weekend, it could kick off again."