FIRE crews have blasted youths who set fire to rubbish after being called out to seven such fires in three days on a Burnley estate.

The latest incidents around the Accrington Road area happened yesterday at noon and again at 6.30pm in Florence Avenue and the skate board park off Rossendale Road at 8.20pm.

Crew manager Alan Ashworth said: "It's just kids roaming the streets round there, we are hoping that it does not escalate any further.

"It's wasting our resources, it could cause a delay and people could be injured."

On Monday crews were called to a rubbish fire in Rossendale Road, and on Sunday they were called to rubbish fires in Hargher, Harold Street, and Kinross Street.

He said the incidents could lead to a repeat of an incident last May when a crew from Nelson had to attend a house fire in Barden Lane, Burnley.

Walter Garnett, 60, who lived in the house, died because firefighters from Burnley's fire station had been unable to get to the house fire straight away as they had been called to a rubbish fire at Empire Mill, Liverpool Road.

Phil Emmett, fire safety officer, said: "The problem is that the children don't realise the consequences of what they are doing.

He said Burnley council had recently had a clean up in the area to reduce the amount of combustible material available.

"But if they want to start a fire it's surprising where they get the material from," he added.