SIX fire engines plus special appliances, a drone and the wild fire burn team are in action tackling a large grass fire in Bacup.

Crews from Burnley, Rawtenstall and Bacup were called to Rochdale Road in Britannia, Bacup, at around 2.25pm to deal with the incident.

The first crews arrived and immediately requested back-up as well as a drone to assist them from the air.

A fire service spokesman said a recent lack of rain combined with strong winds yesterday meant the blaze had spread over three hectares in under an hour.

The spokesman said: "We were first alerted to the fire by a member of the public who said they could see lots of smoke over the moors.

"Soon after, several more calls came in about the fire.

"The wildfire burn team were also requested to attend, who will work to proactively burn the fire to stop it from spreading."

Three wildfires over the first weekend in April were believed to have been started deliberately in the same area.

Crews from across East Lancashire and Greater Manchester attended two fires in Bacup and another on Blackburn Road in Turton.

Wildfire expert from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Shaun Walton said at the time: "We want to deal with these fires as quickly as we can."

To keep up-to-date with the latest news about the fire, visit www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk