Firefighters have warned people that nuisance skip and rubbish fires are putting lives at risk.

The Idle crew attended three rubbish blazes in the early hours of yesterday, prompting white watch manager Nigel Dickinson to issue a warning.

He said: "We could be better utilised rather then going around putting out bins and skips which people have deliberately set on fire."

The crew were first called to a wheelie bin in the back garden of what is thought to be an empty house in Barham Terrace, Ravenscliffe, at midnight.

The crew were then called to another wheelie bin on fire in the middle of Kings Road, Swain House, at 3am.

The crew believed the bin had been left out for collection before it was set on fire.

And at 5.30am the crew was called out again to a skip on fire in Wood Lane, Swain House.