A WARNING has been issued by firefighters after two large grass fires over the weekend.

Firefighters from Bacup were called to a fire to 50 square metres of grass off Market Street in Shawforth just before 5.10pm yesterday.

The blaze was in the trees between Cowm Quarry and the road and firefighters said it was the second fire in the area of the weekend.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes and have issued a warning for people to be way of moorland fires, especially at this time of the year.

Watch manager Chris Howarth said: "The fire service would urge people to take extra care at this time of year with regard to cigarettes and smoking materials.

"There is an abundance of dead, dry grass around on the moors and fields.

"Due to the current good weather, the risk of fires around the moors is significantly higher than usual.

"Grass fires can have a detrimental impact on the environment and local communities and can significantly drain the resources of the fire service."