FIRE chiefs in Burnley are warning parents to keep a close eye on their children after a series of grass fires over the last three evenings.

Firefighters say the blazes, which have broken out in woodland next to Rosehill Road, are both dangerous and take up a lot of their time which could be spent dealing with other jobs.

Burnley has only two fire engines and firefighters say if one is taken up with incidents like the grass fires then they could have difficulty attending more serious fires.

Station Officer Steve Cope, of Burnley Fire Station, said the problem was especially bad because of the recent spell of dry weather. He added: "There is a lot of dry grass around which doesn't help and some children seem to think it's amusing to set fire to it.

"Luckily so far none of these fires has spread, but they could quite easily become more dangerous to other children who play in that area.

"Parents need to keep an eye on their children when they are out and about because they must know what they are up to.

"We would urge them to do everything they can to stop children starting fires like this so that we can deal with more serious incidents."