The hills are alight...

MORE than 40 firefighters tackled moorland fires

OLDHAM and Mossley firefighters joined forces with other Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire crews to tackle grass fires in Littleborough and across the border yesterday.

The fire started on land behind The Summit Pub in Todmorden Road last night (pictured) and quickly spread as far as Bacup and Todmorden. The A58 Halifax Road was closed last night.

Crews are guarding property threatened by the blaze.

A fire service spokesman said: “We are protecting a small number of remote cottages and farm buildings from the fires.

“Firefighters were withdrawn from the hillside for safety reasons when it got dark, and have redeployed to protect these isolated buildings with strategically positioned fire engines.”