A COMMERCIAL skip containing used car parts was set on fire last night.

Fire crews were tied up for an hour as they had to put out the flames and empty the skip of its contents.

The blaze, at 10pm in Abinger Street, Burnley, was next to a row of derelict lock-up garages.

The skip was full of tyres, car parts, oil and paint pots.

A large gang of youths was seen nearby and the incident is being treated as deliberate.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “Nuisance fires like this are so time consuming as we have to empty the contents of the skip as we put the fire out.

“That creates a knock-on eyesore and expense for the council to clear up.

“It is as bad as a hoax call for tying up engines at busy periods.”