A HAMPSHIRE pub wants to raise the height of its chimneys to reduce the risk of the thatched roof catching fire.

An application relating to the Sir John Barleycorn in Cadnam has been submitted to the New Forest National Park Authority.

The application says the scheme aims to restore the chimneys to their original height.

It adds that the proposed works "are critical in reducing the potential loss of historic materials or structure due to fire.

"The chimney heights were much greater than they are now.

"The reduced height is not solely due to the loss of masonry but is also as a result

of the increase in the layers of thatch over many decades."